Apple - Apple Honey Granola

Spring is on its way... my first flowers have started blooming. I love when the crocus start to bloom because they are the first thing that comes up and it seems like they bloom almost overnight. One day there is nothing and then all the sudden there are all these little purple flowers. They are so cute, like baby tulips.

But anyway... you most likely aren't reading my blog to learn about flowers. So here's a delicious granola recipe for you to lighten things up a little from all the desserts I've been posting lately. (Don't worry, I have more cupcakes too...)

The base of this granola is unsweetened applesauce and it uses honey to sweeten things up. I added dried apples, chopped dates, almonds and ground flax seed along with the oats. Making your own granola is extremely easy, just toss everything together and bake and it keeps well in an airtight container.

Apple - Apple Honey Granola

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup honey
1 cup dried apples, chopped
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil (Use canola for a milder flavor - I used my citrus infused olive oil)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until wet ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and bake approximately 1 hour, stir/turn after 30 minutes. Let cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container.