When I heard Nuts.com was having a trail mix contest I was excited to participate. I love making different varieties of trail mix and it makes such a great on the go, healthy, nutty snack filled with protein. The nut I chose for this Hawaiian Trail Mix w/ Homemade Honey Granola is macadamia nuts. Using a nut that isn’t traditionally used in trail mix gives my readers some creative ideas to help us all think outside the box.
Adding some other surprising ingredients to made this trail mix extra special. I took a big bowl of it to work and got a ton of compliments on it. It turned into the magically disappearing Hawaiian trail mix. My co-workers never complain that I’m a food blogger because they get to taste test for me. I think they can taste the love in my food, too!
To begin, make a batch of my homemade honey granola. It’s super simple and bakes in the oven in just about 20-25 minutes. It’s a great base for any trail mix and it also a great, crunchy topping for yogurt or ice cream or a simple snack on its own.
It gets nice and brown and it all sticks together and you just break it into small pieces by hand. It’s a fun thing to get the kids involved in. I also like to make some extra to keep in an air tight container to use as a topping. It will keep for a couple of weeks in the pantry. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a lot delicious!
I love dried cranberries in trail mixes, like my Maple Granola w/ Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds and Cranberries but I decided to add some Yogurt covered Cranberries this time. They add that extra sweetness that makes this a cross between a trail mix and a dessert.
I went to the bulk bins at my grocery store to pick up the ingredients I needed to make this Hawaiian Trail Mix w/ Homemade Honey Granola. I like shopping in the bulk bins because I can measure out only the amount I need, so there is no waste and I can find a lot of raw ingredients like the rolled oats that I used here. If you are looking for only a small amount of a specific ingredient, check out the bulk bins section. It’s also a great way to try different ingredients without having to purchase an entire package of something and then find out later it’s not your cup of tea.
I hope you’ll try to make this Hawaiian Trail Mix and make the Homemade Honey Granola to create your own variety of trail mix. Please leave me a comment if you give this recipe a try and also let me know if you make any adjustments. I’m always looking for great trail mix ideas!
I’d also love to see a photo of your creation. Just tag #ketchumkitchen on Social Media and don’t forget to subscribe so that you get a notification in your inbox every time I post a new recipe. No spam, I promise. I hate spam and I would never do that to you.
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Ingredients
- Honey Granola
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil (or any vegetable oil)
- 1/3 cup honey
- Trail Mix
- 11 ounces macadamia nuts
- 9 ounces roasted, salted sunflower seeds
- 10 ounces dried pineapple
- 12 ounces yogurt covered cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- In a mixing bowl, mix all of the honey granola ingredients until well combined.
- Spread out the mixture on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, stir and then bake another 5-10 minutes more until golden brown.
- Let cool completely and then break the granola into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, add the granola and all of the trail mix ingredients and stir. Store in an air tight container for up to two weeks.
