Crunchy Golden Granola Clusters (Printable Version)

Golden clusters of rolled oats, nuts, and honey—crunchy, homemade, and perfect for breakfast or yogurt toppings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
02 - 1 cup mixed nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts), coarsely chopped
03 - 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)
04 - 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup for vegan option)
08 - 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or neutral oil)
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Optional Add-ins

10 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped dried apricots
11 - 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, coconut, seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to mix evenly.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
04 - Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is evenly coated and clumps start to form.
05 - Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Gently press down with a spatula to encourage clusters to form.
06 - Bake for 22-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden brown.
07 - Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet without stirring (this helps clusters set).
08 - Once cooled, break into clusters. Mix in dried fruit or chocolate chips if desired. Store in an airtight container.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You control every ingredient, which means no mystery oils or refined sugars hiding in the fine print.
  • The whole kitchen smells like vanilla and toasted nuts for hours afterward, which is honestly half the reward.
  • Clusters hold together beautifully because you let them set completely undisturbed, unlike granola that crumbles into sad dust halfway through breakfast.
02 -
  • Stirring the granola while it's still hot will break apart your clusters and leave you with crumbles instead, so truly wait until it's completely cool even though it's tempting.
  • The granola continues to crisp up as it cools, so if it seems slightly soft when you first pull it out, that's exactly right and it will firm up perfectly.
03 -
  • Use a lower oven temperature if your oven tends to run hot, as this recipe is forgiving but benefits from even, gentle heat rather than aggressive baking.
  • The secret to perfect clusters every single time is respecting the cooling phase absolutely, which separates successful batches from disappointing ones.
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