Joy the Baker

Small Batch Granola

by 48 Comments

Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

Small Batch Granola, more commonly know as Not A Whole Crap Ton of Granola.

I sometimes get about halfway through making a recipe before I realize that I no longer have a taste for what I’m baking and I’d much prefer to sit on the couch and eat an entire bag of potato chips.  It’s like my tastebuds are easily distracted toward whatever is salty, crunchy, fatty, and in the cupboard.  

This granola recipe respects those distractions, by making a civilized and flake-friendly 2 1/2 cups of granola.  Most granola recipes I’ve encountered require us to be intently interested in granola from now until mid-September, and considering the bag of potato chips I’m already eyeing… I just can’t make commitments like that.  

I present you with, some very good granola, not a ton.  

 Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

Oats to start.  The old-fashioned sort, with a sprinkling of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  

Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

Sweetener and fat.  Pure maple syrup and melted coconut oil to moisten all of the oats.  

It’s just too easy.  

Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet to toast in the oven where the oats will crisp and the sugars will caramelize.  

Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

After the oats are toasted halfway, the toppings are added.  Coconut and cocoa nibs will burn more quickly than the oats will toast.  Layers of toasting, the most complicated part of this granola recipe.  

Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

Small Batch Granola with cocoa nibs, almond, and coconut

Get thee some yogurt and a spoon.  It’s breakfast and snacking granola, just enough until you’re like eehhh…. no more granola please.  And then it’s done! 

Add what you will.  I like coconut flakes, sliced almonds, and cocoa nibs.  Dried cherries and pistachios would be delicious.  Toss in chocolate chunks.  Make it as fruit and nut filled as you’d like! 

Print

Small-Batch Granola with almond, coconut, and cocoa nibs

  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup raw sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa nibs

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, toss together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and toss until all of the oat mixture is coated in moisture.
  4. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss in the almonds, and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss in the coconut flakes and cocoa nibs and bake for until 10 minutes until everything is golden brown.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing or serving. Serve with vanilla yogurt. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Wendy

    If you were to add dried fruit, when would you mix it in? I’m thinking either at the last round (with coconut) or at the very end after it’s done baking. Not sure?!

    Reply

  2. janeycornish

    Hi Joy! Thanks for another fabulous recipe :) I used 2 tbsp of maple instead of 3 just because I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and although it didn’t clump together as well it tasted delicious!

    Reply

  3. Rumi

    I’ve never made homemade granola, and this came out beautifully! I followed the recipe with the addition of some almond extract. The house smells wonderful :) Elevating my breakfast yogurts this week with this gem!

    Reply

  5. sindykoh

    Finally I found this recipie , its great as I m baking for me myself n i , don’t have to worry on how to get those proportion right. Thanks so much :-)
    Can i ask, normally the addition if any other nuts, or berries fruits is added in only at steps 4?.Not at the initial oats toasting start right ?

    Cheers, Sindy

    Reply

  6. Ali

    It’s. Delicious and easy to make used butter as didn’t. Have coconut oil. Oops forgot the vanilla…. Been eating by the handful !

    Reply

  9. Jamie

    Ha! In our home a village-sized batch lasts us approximately 3 days. The sharer of my kitchen and love of my life takes it upon himself to eat his way through a bucketful whenever the whim strikes…breakfast (ok that makes sense), snack, dessert…

    This recipe looks just perfect for a me-sized amount that I can hide easily in a jar in the cupboard he never thinks to look in. Thanks Joy!

    Reply

  10. Breanna

    I have never understood why most granola recipes produce enough granola to feed a family of five for a year. Not only is this perplexing because I too am more often tempted by the siren song of potato chips than the quiet whispers of granola, but because I don’t have four other people to help me endlessly rotate a million trays out of the oven or eat the results, and my cat, quite frankly, isn’t interested in helping in either of those capacities. I may have to make this appropriately-sized batch to liven up my morning yogurt routine.

    Reply

  15. valerie

    YUM! I have made many variations of granola, and not only does this one look delicious, but I love that the ingredients list is short and consists of items that I have in my pantry! Definitely making this. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  20. Chrissy

    Dude! I made almost this exact recipe on Saturday. I threw mine in a bowl with some ricotta because it’s ricotta, and topped it with dried cherries and shaved chocolate. Great minds! But I made 2x as much because as where you eye chips, I eye…the rest of the granola.

    Reply

  23. Kristin

    Yes, yes, and yes!

    Just yesterday I made the PW kale and sausage soup. It’s delicious but I don’t need nor will I want an entire pot of soup. I live alone. So I texted a few friends, sorted it in to batches, and delivered it today. I will enjoy my remaining small batch so much more if I don’t HAVE to eat it for every meal for the next five days.

    Reply

  24. dessertfortwo

    YES GIRL YES! I have a bag of homemade granola in my pantry from November. No joke. And I know my appetite isn’t the problem. I don’t need 18 cups of granola, thankyouverymuch.

    love small batch everything! :)

    Reply

  32. Jeannette

    Thanks for this. Because seriously, who can eat a crap ton of granola (gran-you-la, as i like to jokingly pronounce it) before it gets all… weird? you know what i’m talking about. this is perfect.

    Reply

  33. Maria

    I have the opposite problem with granola… If I bake a large batch I’m likely to eat it at an alarming rate until it’s gone. So either way this recipe is useful : )

    Reply

  34. Katelyn

    I just made this and it turned out great! I ALWAYS have way too much granola when I make a full recipe so this was the perfect size for me. I didn’t have coco nibs so I substituted chopped dried apples (which I added after the granola came out of the oven). Delicious! I would also add, make sure you watch the granola towards the end, as it is very easy for it to burn.

    Reply

  37. Kekawaka

    Why did I never think of it? I grew up in a large family where we made granola by the 5-gallon bucketful. Now I live alone, and the last time I made my old standby recipe it actually went rancid before I could finish eating it. Since then, I’ve been depriving myself of the pleasure of homemade granola. It just never occurred to me to make it a really small batch. Brilliant!

    Reply

  41. MB@Bourbon and Brown Sugar

    Love it! I have a huge jar of honey hazelnut granola (yield – 9 cups) in my pantry that I threw together a couple weeks ago, and though it’s delicious, we’ve sorta fallen out of the granola mood. Inspired idea to make it in smaller batches :)

    Reply

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