Who doesn’t love the ‘smells’ of Christmas wafting through their house when baking? I know I do but Christmas time in Australia is hot and not the most ideal time to be baking. That’s why I love this Christmas Granola.

It’s annoying because even working with chocolate or butter is hard and it’s the time of the year when I really enjoy giving homemade food gifts. I love a nutty, crunchy granola mix and I thought this would be an ideal gift. The oven isn’t on for long, you could quite possibly make it under the griller (if you’re quick) and there’s no chance of it melting before you give it to your intended recipient.

This is also an excellent opportunity to use up bits and pieces of nuts and dried fruits you might have in your pantry (not that you want to give your friends and family ‘bits and pieces’ but I always have half used bags of nuts and dried fruit in the pantry, waiting to be used in one recipe or another. I was pretty well stocked up as it worked out so made sure I packed this granola with macadamias, cashews, a fruit and nut mix and dried cranberries. You could go crazy with any kind of dried fruit or nut.

Once you’ve decided on your ingredients, mix well.

You can use any kind of oil here but I opted for coconut oil and added honey and golden syrup.

My spices are always stocked up with the McCormicks range of spices and all those lovely spices of Christmas are added to the oil and honey mixture.

Once they’ve been boiled on the stove for about 3 minutes or until bubbling, add to the granola mix.

Spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper and just for a little extra sweetness and stickiness, add another drizzle of golden syrup.

Bake for about 30 minutes, making sure you turn over every 10 minutes and until golden and crunchy.

Allow to cool and put in a glass jar ready for Christmas gifts. I made one big jar for a family friend and have enough for 2 more presents or 1 big lot for our family to enjoy.

You can use the granola in so many ways like layered with Greek plain (or flavoured) yoghurt (above) for breakfast or dessert. You can sprinkle it on ice cream, eat it for breakfast with milk/yoghurt and chopped fruit. You could make it into granola bars or use for a topping on a crumble/fruit crisp. I had to make sure I put it away because I couldn’t stop nibbling on it. It’s very more-ish! This is of course enjoyable all year round. Why save it just for Christmas?

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Christmas Granola

A delicious, crunchy, golden blend of oats, nuts and dried fruit flavoured with the spices of Christmas.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 12

Author Anne Murphy

Ingredients

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts roughly chopped
• 1 cup fruit and nut medley mix
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbs golden syrup
• 2 tbs coconut oil or olive oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170 deg C (375 deg F).
2. Mix oats, fruit, nuts and coconut together.
3. In a small saucepan, add brown sugar, spices, oil, honey and syrup.
4. Melt over a medium heat until bubbling for about 3 minutes.
5. Add to granola mix.
6. Spread in a single layer on two baking trays lined with baking paper.
7. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden, ensuring that you toss the granola mix every 10 minutes so it doesn't burn.