Holiday breakfast

There is a certain level of indulgence that comes with the holiday season, and so there should be, we earned it!

As a child, I strongly remember that when we went away on holidays we were allowed to have a certain cereal we were never allowed to have at home.

It was just like a chocolate milkshake, only crunchy, and it was usually all gone within two days and then it was back to our normal breakfast broadcast. Sigh.

I wanted to create a similar experience for my lads, only with a little less of the chocolate milkshake/crazy amount of sugar vibe.

So with the help of my biggest lad, we made a special holiday granola – or canola as he likes to call it (just like Pop and Uncle Ben grow) to take away with us.

Packaged in a nice jar, this also makes for a really lovely gift.

Consider this a base recipe which should be changed to meet your own preferences, add more honey or some brown sugar prior to baking if you’ve got a real sweet tooth, or some dried fruit to the end mix.

I like a crunchy, nutty mix which isn’t too sweet and then add natural yoghurt and fresh fruit – it’s like a holiday indulgence without needing to add “gym membership” to your list of New Year resolutions.

Holiday granola

Ingredients

500g rolled oats

250g nuts (I used almonds and macadamias), roughly chopped

50g sunflower seeds

150ml honey (or maple syrup)

2 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil

1 tablespoon butter

Method

Pre-heat oven to 150C.

In a saucepan, combine the butter, oil and honey over low heat until melted and combined.

Place your oats in a large bowl and pour over the honey mix, stirring well until the oats are all coated.

Grab two trays and line with baking paper, before tipping the oats out on each tray and spreading – it doesn’t matter if there are a few clumps, I encourage it.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then add some nuts to each tray and give it a good shake to mix it around.

Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until nicely browned (swap the trays halfway through if you need).

Allow to cool completely which is when it will get nice and crispy, then place in an airtight container ready for breakfast.

Enjoy!