Opa's Granola Recipe – Trail Mix Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between granola and trail mix? ›

What is the difference between trail mix and granola? Granola is a cereal made from toasted oats and nuts and is typically enjoyed as breakfast with milk or yogurt. Trail mix is enjoyed more as a convenient snack eaten straight from the bag or your hand like you would on a trail or hike!

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Egg White

Results: Not only does the egg white work as a glue to hold the oats together, but it also gives the granola an incredibly crispy bite. This method produced mostly small, delicate clumps (and a fair amount of granola “crumbs”), which easily break apart.

Higher temperatures can cause ingredients like nuts, seeds, and coconut to burn before the batch has a chance to properly dry out and crisp up, Perry says. Stick with a low temperature, keep an eye on your mixture, and stir it from time to time to help it brown evenly.

I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam. This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can.

Furthermore, many ingredients found in trail mix are calorie dense, including nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate. Therefore, it's important to keep your portion sizes in check to avoid overeating and prevent weight gain. Some types of trail mix may be high in added sugar and sodium.

Not only can you transform that soggy, chewy granola back to being blissfully crunchy, but it's easier than you might think. All it takes is spreading the granola in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and heating it in a 400 degree oven for five minutes — essentially re-baking it.

Honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar are popular choices that add a natural sweetness. Be mindful of the quantity, as these sweeteners also contribute to the binding of the granola mixture. Peanut butter, almond butter, or even mashed bananas can act as the glue that holds your granola bars together.

If you're re-crisping a larger batch for several people, spread it out on a plate and microwave in 10 second bursts until it's crispy again. This is really just a temporary solution. If you let the re-crisped granola sit out for too long, it goes back to its limp and stale state.

If the granola is clumpy, use a spatula to press it into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Bake, stirring halfway through, for about 20 minutes total. The granola is ready when golden-brown and the almonds have toasted — it will still feel wet coming out of the oven but will dry as it cools.

Why add salt to granola? ›

For flavorful granola, don't skip the salt! Too little and your flavors won't sing. I prefer using fine-grain sea salt in this one (I always cook with fine-grain sea salt), but regular salt will do, too (just use a little less).

If you want a less clumpy granola, stir and then add the nuts, flaxmeal, and coconut on top of the half-baked granola. If you want a more clumpy granola, don't stir before adding the additional ingredients. Return the sheet to the oven and bake 10 minutes more until everything is lightly toasted.

Granola provides protein and important micronutrients like iron, vitamin D, folate, and zinc. Serving sizes vary from 1/4 cup to a full cup depending on the type and brand you choose. Granola can also be an excellent source of: Vitamin B.

Nuts and dried fruit are energy dense, but they're both good for you. The base of trail mix—nuts and fruit—are two foods that can help you lose weight. Nuts are packed with healthy fats, protein and fiber, three nutrients that help keep you full. Fruit delivers fiber and other key vitamins and minerals.

Granola is often sweetened with natural sugars like honey or maple syrup, making it a healthier option compared to many cereals that contain high amounts of added sugars. Natural sweeteners provide a touch of sweetness without causing the rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels associated with refined sugars.

Which One Is Better for Breakfast? Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can't quite compete with.