Clean and Easy Oatmeal Raisin Granola

5 from 2 votes

A healthier alternative to the oatmeal raisin cookie, this granola is amazingly delicious and sure to satisfy!

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 245kcal

Author: Kitrusy

Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C).
In a large bowl, combine the oats, chia seeds, and salt. Add the maple syrup, and melted coconut oil and mix until all the oats are coated and the chia seeds are coated.
Allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes so that the chia seeds can begin to absorb some of the liquid. This helps with the clumping of the granola.
Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix until all the spices are evenly distributed.
Spread the granola onto a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 20-30 minutes, being sure to mix and turn the granola after 10 minutes to ensure that it is all cooking evenly. When done, the oats should be golden brown and toasted (but not burned!)
Remove from the oven. The granola will still be loose and sticky at this point, that's normal. Use this time to press the raisins into the oats and tamp it all down to make it more compact (this helps with the clumping as it will harden as it cools).
Allow the granola to cool without disturbing it.
Once it is completely cooled, break the pieces into chunks of your preferred size.
Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to two weeks.

Slightly reducing the cook time results in a soft, moist and almost chewy granola. Note that this is perfectly fine (and delicious!) but it will not clump together.
You can speed up the granola's cooling process by placing the partially cooled tray into the refrigerator and chilling it.
If you find that your granola isn't clumping together but is brittle and breaking apart you can try two things: 1. allow your base mixture with your chia seeds to sit for a longer period of time since it does take time for them to absorb liquids and bind. 2. Right out of the oven, firmly tamp and compress the granola together to bind it so that when it cools it will harden into a more compact piece. Alternatively, you can separate and compress the hot granola into individual bite-sized clumps before they cool (use a spoon so that you don't burn yourself) that way when they cool they are already formed into chunks.