Italian Granola Recipe: Kiki’s Chunky, Salty-Sweet Homemade Granola

Woman with tray of granola

Pistachios in blender

An Italian Granola Recipe for Yogurt Bowls, Açaí Bowls, and Snacking

Does adding pistachios make it Italian?

No. Definitely not.But let’s pretend it does for branding purposes.

Ah yes, the art of storytelling before a recipe. Some food bloggers would have you believe a three-act play should precede a bowl of granola. Let’s be honest... you’re here because you’re hungry, not because you’re looking for a Shakespearean saga.

So before we jump into this Italian granola recipe, here are a few quick notes. Short. Sweet. Helpful.

A few things you should know:

1. Money-saving crunch Homemade granola is shockingly economical. Once you start making it yourself, store-bought granola suddenly feels like a scam.

2. The salty-sweet balance This is that granola. The kind you pile onto yogurt, açaí bowls, or eat straight from the jar when no one’s watching.

3. Chunk lovers, listen up If you like big, bakery-style granola clusters, you must practice extreme self-control for about 45 minutes after it comes out of the oven. Do not touch it. Do not stir it. Do not “just taste it.”

4. Trader Joe’s treasure hunt I try to buy everything organic, and almost all of my granola ingredients come from Trader Joe’s. If they want to sponsor me, I’m emotionally available.

5. Nut note All nuts used are raw and unsalted. This matters.

Okay. That’s it. Let’s get into it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup shredded coconut

• 1 cup raw almonds (1/2 chopped, 1/2 whole) • 1/3 cup raw cashews

• 1/3 cup raw pecans

• 1/3 cup raw pistachios

• 3 cups old fashioned oats

• 1/4 cup creamy almond butter • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt • 1 teaspoons vanilla • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup*

• 1/3 cup honey* • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil Yields: 8 SERVINGS Prep: 30 MINS Cook: 30-35 MINUTES

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using food processer, chop 1/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/3 cashews 1/3 cup pecans, and 1/3 cup pistachios. Pulse until largely coarsely chopped. In a large bowl, combine 3 cups oats, the coconut/nut mixture, 1 1/2 tsps cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 cup whole almonds. In a medium microwave safe bowl, combine 1/4 cup almond butter, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/3 honey* (see sweetness note at the bottom), 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave another 30 seconds until mixture melts but is not bubbling. Pour mixture over the oats mixture and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Spread mixture in an even layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven (top rack) and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 mins, stir/gently flip mixture. Bake another 15mins or so until golden brown. The edges may brown more so watch carefully. Burning happens VERY quickly. Trust me. I know. The key is to let this cool completely (about 45 minutes) without any kind of touching, stirring, or snacking if you like BIG chunks.

Optional add-on:

After mixture has cooled, add some high quality dark chocolate chips or chunks. Or maybe some peanut butter chips. The possibilities are endless.

*SWEETNESS NOTE: Increase to 1/2 cup each of the maple syrup and honey if you like it VERY sweet. Or in place of that extra maple syrup and honey, if you're not opposed to fake sugars, you can add one of those "skinny" syrups. Jordan's Skinny Syrup Cinnamon Dolce or French Toast are my favs. 10 pumps does the replacement job!