I seem to be stuck in breakfast mode. After my marathon of marmalade making – a year’s supply made over the few weeks marmalade oranges are in season – I have been making granola. I’m very fond of coconut and this Tropical Granola Recipe is my favourite! The measurements are in cups as the original Blue Zones recipe was in cups and I found it the quickest and easiest method.

Ingredients you need to make this Tropical Granola Recipe

• 3 cups rolled oats (I like to use jumbo oats but any rolled oats are fine)
• ½ cup roughly chopped Brazil nuts
• ½ cup desiccated coconut
• ½ cup coconut chips
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ coconut oil (melted)
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit (I use dried mango, dried pineapple and banana chips all cut into small pieces)

Directions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
2. Put the oats, nuts, desiccated coconut, coconut chips and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
3. Stir the honey and vanilla extract into the melted coconut oil.
4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.
5. Spread the mixture evenly over a large baking tray or roasting tin and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven. You will find that the mixture at the edge of your baking tray / roasting tin is browning more quickly than the mixture in the middle. Stir the mixture, bringing the edges into the centre and the centre mixture to the edge to ensure even browning.
7. Replace in the oven. The original Blue Zones recipe said cook for another 10 minutes but I prefer to stir again after 5 minutes and then replace it in the oven for the final 5 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven. It should be toasted and golden brown. Stir in the dried fruit and leave to cool.
9. Remove from the baking tray / roasting tin when cold and store in an airtight container. I like to use a glass jar but any airtight container is fine. It should keep up to 2 months though it is eaten long before that in my house.

Inspired by the Blue Zones

My son-in-law has been making homemade granola for some years. He got his recipe from a National Geographic Magazine Collector’s Edition published in 2016. This edition was about the ‘Blue Zones‘ – those areas of the world where people lead longer and healthier lives – and explored their diets and way of life. The author Dan Buettner, showed how changes to our modern lifestyles based on life in the ‘Blue Zones’ could help us to live happier and healthier lives.

I use this Tropical Granola Recipe as a basis for many different granolas. It is based on rolled oats and nuts mixed with honey and oil, toasted in the oven. It can be varied by your choice of nuts, by the addition of seeds, different spices and flavourings, the type of oil used and substituting different sweeteners, such as maple syrup for honey. Dried fruit is usually added when the granola comes out of the oven and this also allows plenty of variety.

Tropical Granola Recipe

Recipe by Scones Plus More

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Breakfast, SnacksDifficulty: Easy

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats (I like to use jumbo oats but any rolled oats are fine)

• ½ cup roughly chopped Brazil nuts

• ½ cup desiccated coconut

• ½ cup coconut chips

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ⅓ cup honey

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¼ coconut oil (melted)

• 1 cup mixed dried fruit (I use dried mango, dried pineapple and banana chips all cut into small pieces)

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Put the oats, nuts, desiccated coconut, coconut chips and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Stir the honey and vanilla extract into the melted coconut oil.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed.
• Spread the mixture evenly over a large baking tray or roasting tin and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. You will find that the mixture at the edge of your baking tray / roasting tin is browning more quickly than the mixture in the middle. Stir the mixture, bringing the edges into the centre and the centre mixture to the edge to ensure even browning.
• Replace in the oven. The original Blue Zones recipe said cook for another 10 minutes but I prefer to stir again after 5 minutes and then replace it in the oven for the final 5 minutes.
• Remove from the oven. It should be toasted and golden brown. Stir in the dried fruit and leave to cool.
• Remove from the baking tray / roasting tin when cold and store in an airtight container. I like to use a glass jar but any airtight container is fine. It should keep up to 2 months though it is eaten long before that in my house.

Serving Tropical Granola

Serve with milk as a cereal or as a topping with fruit and yoghurt. Lidl’s sell an excellent frozen prepared mango and pineapple. Defrosted in the fridge overnight and topped with yoghurt and homemade Tropical Granola they make a quick delicious and healthy breakfast.

Until next time…

Tanya