I love browsing in chi-chi food boutiques. I don’t like the prices they charge. So, instead, I’ve chosen to make my own delicious gifts to give to friends and family.
This gift of good taste is one the boys and I experimented with just this morning. We took our standard granola recipe and doctored it up with some fresh orange zest and dried cranberries. Delish!
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to take a picture and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Cranberry-Orange Granola
Breakfast granola becomes something special when you mix in orange zest and dried cranberries. This easy recipe is perfect for every day but special enough for gift-giving.
Servings: 12
Calories: 397kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 1/2 cup powdered milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 orange , zested
- 5 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, oil, powdered milk, water, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and orange zest. Heat until well blended.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats and nuts.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the oats and nuts mixture, stirring to combine.
- Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Cool on a rack.
- Once cool, stir in the cranberries and serve with milk or yogurt.
- Store granola in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature.
Notes
Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1/2 cup serving. For longest storage, store the cooled granola in an airtight container in the freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 289mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 2mg
Hoosier Homemade says
Yum!!! That looks great! Do you buy dried cranberries? Like craraisins? Or dry them yourself. I have never tried to dry them.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
FishMama says
I just use craisins.
Christian Frugal Mama says
Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!! I warned my family they're all getting homemade stuff this year and I've been looking for ideas! I really appreciate this topic!
Jimi says
The granola looks awesome! Do you just eat it like cereal, with milk?
We love giving food gifts at the holidays! I just hope our friends like receiving them. 🙂
FishMama says
Jimi, we eat it dry, with yogurt, or with milk.
Lynn says
This looks like a great gift, FishMama. Nice and healthy and you don't have to feel like you need to hurry and eat it before it goes bad. Great idea to do this linky carnival, too. (Is that the official name, "linky carnival"? 😉 )
6p0120a5dc1e23970b says
The colour and the shape of the cranberries make it so festival. Great gift idea, thanks very much!
Homemakers Cottage says
Oh, yum! My kids and I LOVE homemade granola… and this looks delicious!! Can't wait to try it out! ~Kristy
Amber says
I can't wait to try this recipe – yummmmm! I do have a question though – Can I use a Silpat lined baking sheet instead of a greased one? I think I love my Silpat just as much as you do and I was planning on using it, but was worried about a potential, unforseen problem. Thanks for the wonderful site – I love it!
Susieqtpie says
Love it! I have something similar going on my blog! Can you come link up? Thanks so much! Holiday Recipe Exchange http://bit.ly/cOOkBook
For Their Future says
Oooo! i love garnola! I will have to get me some cranberries and orange zest now!
Thanks!
For Their Future says
I could not find the Mister Linky to post this in, so thought I would leave it in this comment!
It is a link to my recipe "sugar free Carrot cake"!
http://preparingforourchildrensfuture.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-favorite-sugar-free-carrot-cake.html
Merrilee says
Yum! We just made it today for breakfast this week. I love the orange in it. Thanks for sharing. I found your blog from a link on another, but can’t remember which one now! 🙂
Cassie says
This may be an odd question…I’ve never seen milk powder in a granola recipe. What’s its roll? In other words, is it there for flavor, nutrition, bulk, etc.? I love the combo of orange and cranberry. My favorite Christmas cookie recipe is a cranberry-orange-dark chocolate cookie. Yum!
Michelle says
Hi Jessica,
I love reading your blog! I have a question about the granola. Can you use regular milk instead of powdered milk? What is the purpose of the powdered milk in this recipe?
Michelle
Jessica Fisher says
You can omit it if you want. It adds calcium and protein, but omitting it won’t ruin the recipe.
Cassie says
Hi Jessica! I made the cranberry orange granola today. It’s very tasty, but I was wondering what kind of texture you get out of yours. I tend to like granola that has clusters in it–where the oats and/or nuts have stuck together to make crunchy little chunks. What I got with this was a lot of delicious individual oats and nuts, but no clusters. Do you think substituting honey for the brown sugar would yield more “clustery” results?
Jessica Fisher says
I don’t think it’s the sweetener. I just made some with brown sugar and got the clumps and sometimes when I use honey, I don’t. I think it has to do with the size of the pan and the amount of stirring. I also think it’s more of an art than a science.
Sarah says
Oh my.. I just took my slightly modified version out of the oven.. so so delicious and simple to make! Thanks! Will be blogging about it over at zoeslunchbox.com
Mary Ellen says
Is it really one Tablespoon of cinnamon or teaspoon? The cinnamon smell is knocking me out. Is that normal? I used my Saigon cinnamon.
Jessica Fisher says
Yes, it’s one tablespoon, but feel free to use less if you prefer.
Sarah @ Feed My Family says
Just made this this afternoon and the initial assessment is delicious! I’ve never tried dry milk in granola and thought that was interesting. I subbed some rice crispies for some of the oats and left out the nuts {per my family’s preferences and normal granola} and it’s great. I only stirred it once and ended up with some decent sized clumps, just the way we like it!
Jessica Fisher says
I’ve been wanting to sub rice krispies as an experiment. Glad to know it works!
Brooke Kingston says
This is our family’s very favorite granola! I love to make batches and give them as gifts. The orange zest makes it sing! The only modification I make is to substitute orange juice for the water. I can use the whole orange up for the recipe. Thank you m, this is an absolute winner!!!
Jessica Fisher says
Great idea to use the whole orange. Thanks so much for sharing, Brooke!