Granola recipe with coconut, ginger, and almonds. This healthy granola recipe is made with coconut oil.
It’s a first for me, doing a product review on this blog. I got this big bottle of coconut oil in the mail, and I immediately went to work searching high and low for ways to use it. And by that, I mean I typed the phrase “coconut oil” into the search bar on Pinterest. I’m kind of a research genius that way. I also asked my Facebook friends, and even sent the question to the Thumb community. I got some interesting results from all this “research.”
One result was that I discovered that people are not cooking with coconut oil very much. I mean, when it comes to actual recipes with coconut oil as one of the ingredients, there are few. It didn’t stop me from trying a few things, things you will probably see on this blog very soon. The very first thing I tried was this coconut oil granola.
The brand of coconut oil I am using today is Tropical Traditions.
Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
I made a few changes to the recipe I found. As usual, my changes are prompted by what’s in my pantry. Or more appropriately, what’s not in my pantry. One thing I added that I was very happy with was the crystallized ginger. It has a different texture than the rest of the granola… it’s soft and chewy. It has a strong flavor that gives a little extra kick to the granola. There’s something about that coconut-ginger combination that I really like.
My husband said he liked this granola quite a bit. He thinks it has a lot of different flavors in it, and he’s not wrong. Each bite is a little different from the last. And it is really yummy with honey-flavored greek yogurt and sliced fresh strawberries.
So, here are a few interesting facts about this brand of coconut oil. It’s made in the Phillippines by a pretty old-school traditional method that keeps it from being highly processed or mass produced. It’s organic. And while I’m not exactly qualified to be making any medical claims, I can tell you that it has a boat-load of antioxidants. Which is good news for you!
Get the [tooltip text=”spoiler alert: If you watch carefully, you’ll see a very technical process involving a guy sitting on a really long board in order to squeeze the coconut to death. Don’t worry, though. His butt is nowhere near your coconut oil.”]juicy details[/tooltip] here: Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil
I know you want to buy the gold label stuff now!!
I should mention here that I also used the oil in a non-food way this week, too. My son has this super weird and unusual skin condition on his hands and feet. It’s basically extra thick skin, which looks kind of blistery, and sometimes dries and peels off. We’ve been working on the problem with a pretty heavy regimen of supplements, which make the skin drier and flakier than normal. In an attempt to scrub the crazy huge amount of peeling skin off, I gave him a little bit of coconut oil and some coarse sea salt and had him scrub hard for a few minutes, before washing it off. It wasn’t a magic pill or anything, but it definitely helped soften up his skin some, and he was very happy. I think we might try it again when we have more time available for scrubbing.
My opinion of the coconut oil is that I like it. It’s definitely tasty and healthy. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no substitute for butter, but then again, what is? It is pretty pricey compared to other oils, too. However, the health benefits might outweigh the costs in this case. Good fats are essential to a healthy diet. Or so I’m told. Either way, I’ll definitely be buying coconut oil again. And look for some more coconut oil recipes in the near future!
- 3 cups oats
- ⅔ cup sliced almonds
- ⅓ cup chopped brazil nuts
- ⅓ cup flaxseed
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup coconut
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 2-3 T. diced crystallized ginger
- ½ cup honey
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together honey and coconut oil, heating just until smooth and melted. Remove from heat.
- In separate bowl, combine all remaining ingredients.
- Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir to coat.
- Pour onto baking sheet, and smooth it into one even layer. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until toasted to a dark brown, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before eating.
If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy:
Coconut Oil Granola from Hungry Girl Por Vida
Almond Butter Granola from Peanut Butter Fingers
Olive Oil Granola from The Kitchn
Iced Oatmeal cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
This recipe linked up at: Finding Joy In My Kitchen;
I don’t think coconut oil is very widespread? Either that or they don’t sell it here. Not any that I’ve seen. It may be in some of the speciality foreign food stores we have. I’m going to have to keep my eyes peeled as I really, really want to make this granola.
I’m seriously craving it with yoghurt sooooo bad!
That’s weird. I’ve seen it at my local grocery store, in the baking aisle next to the other oils. I hope you can find it! This granola is really yummy!
You’re granola looks so golden brown delicious! If I ever drop the bucks to buy coconut oil (the ones I’ve seen are pretty stinkin’ expensive), I’ll definitely come back to this recipe.
Yes another granola recipe to try! Thanks! My favorite is still the recipe from Eleven Madison Park, but this one sounds great too. I love you idea of adding crystallized ginger.
Thanks for the great recipe. I didn’t have everything i needed, so I changed it up. It was great. Thanks. I posted about it here…..
http://www.abirdandabean.com/2012/05/honey-citrus-coconut-granola.html
Pingback: Coconut Oil Kettle Corn and Giveaway! | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Pingback: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Pingback: Chocolate Sheet Cake with Cherry Topping | Jen's Favorite Cookies
Nothing to do with coconut oil… but i bet your son has eczema. I have it on my foot and looks like that.
I can pretty much guarantee it’s not eczema. It’s closer to hyperkeratosis. Sort of.
Oh wow.. That looks so good. I am a granola junkie 🙂 I will have to try your recipe out as soon as I find some coconut oil!
I think the reason you don’t see coconut oil a lot is that tropical oils were once considered as bad as trans fats are now. Enjoy your SITS Day.
Sounds super yummy! Good luck with your son’s skin. That’s no fun — for either of you.
When I first heard of coconut oil, I decided to use it in some chocolate chip cookies. I replaced the butter in my recipe for it. I also made these cookies a reduced-wheat flour, and used Enjoy Life brand dairy free chocolate chips. They turned out super yummy. My kids loved them. My husband wasn’t thrilled with the hint of coconut to them, but ate them regardless. I’d call them a success!
Can’t wait to try this granola!
Very nice!! I’ve heard of several of my friends using it for everything from a balm to cooking to hair conditioner. One day, when I feel brave in the kitchen (seriously, that place terrifies me) I might try it. 🙂
I’ve been super interested in incorporating coconut oil into my cooking and have been trying to find different ways to do so but didn’t think of granola! Thanks and can’t wait to try this!
Coconut ginger sounds like an interesting flavor.
I love coconut oil and use it for so many things. It’s supposed to be good in a smoothie. Enjoy your SITS day!
The granola looks awesome. Going to try it. 🙂
Your son’s skin is like my husband’s which can be treated very well by a professional homeopathic doc. and benefited greatly by going 100% gluten free. My hubby has gotten very much better with this type of treatment, but look for a licensed classical homeopathic doc, not a quack. I know one if you want more info. 🙂 I would never recommend trying to scrub it off. It disturbs the condition and can make it worse. Just rubbing plain coconut oil or Calendula oil into it without trying to break it off can be very good for it though.
Pingback: It’s Fall Y’all: Ginger « homemadeadventure
Pingback: It’s Fall Y’all: Oats « homemadeadventure
This is the granola recipe I’ve been looking for! It is crunchy, but not too crunchy. It has a perfect sweet and spicy quality. It holds up well in milk, great on top of yogurt or by itself. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Thanks, Heather! It’s my favorite too!
It looks to me like your son has psoriasis.
for years I’ve been looking for a recipe for a cookie I ate as a child. It was round and higher than most, I think it had an anise taste snow white color very soft and dusted with powdered sugar. Anybody recognize it?
I can’t check the spellin because for some reason the letters are a light green, impossible to read!
Pingback: Super Gingery Granola « dessertification
Pingback: Chocolate Gingersnap Cookie | Jen's Favorite Cookies | Recipes & Photos
My son had untreated strep throat which ended up with thick peeling skin on hands and feet. It might be worth looking into that since strep can be pretty insidious if you don’t treat it…
Pingback: honey citrus coconut granola - A Bird and a Bean