I’m a chronic weekday breakfast skipper, totally guilty as charged. On the weekends there’s nothing I love more than a lazy morning pottering around the kitchen cooking a proper breakfast, or a brunch at a café nearby. But during the week I just can’t seem to get it together enough to feed myself anything nutritious before a coffee on the run and a mad dash to the bus.

I used to make granola from scratch all the time, but as you can probably tell, it’s been quite a while. With all the hype around coconut oil’s health benefits lately, I was curious as to how it would work in my usual granola recipe. I stayed pretty close to my old recipe (posted five whole years ago nearly to the day) but used coconut chips in place of shredded coconut, added some pepitas, a little coconut sugar in place of white sugar and skipped the dried fruit entirely. I also added heaps and heaps of ground ginger.

But that’s what I like the most about this recipe, you can’t really go wrong with your substitutions, so feel free to use whatever nuts, grains, seeds and dried fruit you like. I also forgot how freaking amazing it makes the whole house smell while it’s cooking! One morning I enjoyed the granola with milk and some sliced banana, the next day with vanilla bean yoghurt and raspberries. I liked the idea of layering it in a jar to make it portable and easy to take to work, or on its own as a snack.

Ginger and Coconut Granola

• 3 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• ½ cup natural almonds, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons ground ginger
• Pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons macadamia oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup dried fruit, optional

Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF) Combine rolled oats, coconut, almonds, coconut sugar, ginger and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey, coconut oil, vegetable oil and vanilla, whisking occasionally until combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir well. Spread the mixture evenly over a rimmed baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, stirring at the halfway point to ensure granola cooks evenly.

When it’s golden brown, remove from the oven. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then stir to create clusters. Cool completely. Transfer to a large bowl, jar or zip-lock bag and stir in dried fruit if using. Store in an air-tight container and serve with milk or yoghurt. It was delicious with vanilla bean yoghurt and fresh raspberries.