Blueberry Pecan Granola
This Blueberry Pecan Granola is everything you will want in the morning. And in the evening. And maybe even the afternoon. It’s super simple to make, deliciously addicting, and is the perfect compliment to a variety of meals and snacks. Sprinkle over yogurt or a smoothie for a delicious breakfast. Pour over fresh sliced summer berries to add crunch to a fresh afternoon snack. Or top your ice cream with a few spoonfuls of this crunchy treat. After one bite, you’ll look for just about any excuse to incorporate this tasty treat into everything you eat!
I’m trying to start to channel my southernness and the easiest place to start is with my baking. I’m still rocking my all-black Boston ninja wardrobe despite the summer heat, and since you probably won’t find me buying turquoise tops at Chico’s anytime soon or monogramming my sandals, I at least have started being more southern in my baking. Pecans are a southern staple in baking down here. You must pronounce it “PEE-CAHNNNN” instead of “pecan” like most northern (normal) people do. Actually that holds true with most words down here … they have a lot more syllables than up north. Like the word No, my friend Allie stretches that into like three syllables. Noo-oo-oooo! Anyway. Back to the Peeeecans.
I love my base granola recipe because I can swap out the nuts, seeds, and berries and the flavor is totally different, but the texture remains crunchy and ultimately delicious. I love toasted coconut so much that I used to put coconut flakes on tinfoil in the toaster oven when I was little, just to eat them plain and toasted. So you will always fine crunchy toasted coconut in my granola recipe. In addition to the pecans which get all nice and toasty in the oven, I included sunflower kernels for a little extra crunch.
I found these dried blueberries in the grocery store this summer that are basically the equivalent to Crasins, only in blueberry form. You just add them in right when the granola mixture finishes in the oven so that they don’t get too juicy and water down the granola. I like to add them in while the granola is still a bit warm so that some of the blueberry flavor really infuses into the dried ingredients. Delicious.
I made a big batch of this up at the Cape a few weeks back, and we ended up giving most of it away to friends because we could not stop eating it. My mom called it “crackola” which is probably what the street name would be for this addicting treat. We kept getting caught sneaking a few spoonfuls of it straight from the bag.
Another great thing about this recipe is that you can store it in mason jars in the refrigerator or freeze it in Zip-Loc bags to keep it a bit longer. I mean technically it SHOULD stay for a while, but I couldn’t tell you how long it will stay for because a batch of this granola has never lasted more than a day around our house. So the next time you are looking to bake up a delicious and versatile crunchy granola treat, try a batch of this Bluebery Pecan Granola. Enjoy y’all!
Blueberry Pecan Granola
Yield: 5 Cups
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup sunflower kernels
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup dried blueberries
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with edges with a sil pat or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix together the oats, coconut, pecans, sunflower kernels and cinnamon.
- Over low heat, gently whisk the sugar, maple syrup, and olive oil in a small saucepan just until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the liquid into the oat mixture using a spatula to evenly coat the dry ingredients.
- Spread the granola over the prepared cookie sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes until the granola is dry, stirring with a spatula a few times to ensure it bakes evenly.
- Fold in the dried blueberries.
- Allow to cool before storing in an air-tight container or mason jar. Enjoy!