Granola Recipe

As requested, here is the recipe for delicious, easy granola. I half this recipe because I don't have a big enough bowl nor a big enough oven. I've never been very good at following recipes with exact measuring. It bites me back sometimes, but I've made this granola twice and it came out yummy both times.

Preheat oven to 325*

Heat and whisk:
1 cup oil (I used part coconut oil and part canola oil)
1 tsp vanilla (I used 3 tsp even with a halved recipe because I really like vanilla)
1 tsp salt (optional)
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup maple syrup (I used a maple syrup made with brown rice syrup because I'm trying to reduce corn syrup in our family's diet, but I'm too cheap to buy real maple syrup.)

My recipe didn't say how hot to heat this mixture or for how long. My guess is that you heat it because it helps the oil combine with all the other ingredients. I keep it on a low heat and whisk it occasionally for only as long as it takes me to dump all the other ingredients in a bowl.

In another bowl, mix any combination of oats with nuts or seeds that you like.

This is what I use:
12 cups regular rolled oats (I think you could use quick oats, but they have a different texture/flavor. I get the regular oats from the LDS Cannery).
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 sesame seeds
1 cup almonds (I add a cup even with a half batch)
1 cup sunflower seeds (raw or roasted)
1/3 cup flax seeds (I think I upped the amount of flax seeds, too - gotta love omega-3s)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (raw or roasted)

Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well. Divide in half and spread on to shallow pans. Stir every 10 minutes. Cook until golden about 20 - 30 minutes (mine took 30).

Tip: I line the pans with aluminum foil so when it is time to stir it is easy to lift the foil by the corners and dump the granola back into the big bowl, stir it up, then pour it back on the foil in the pan.

When the granola is cool, add dried fruit of your choice.

This morning, I halved the cooled granola, added chopped dates and craisins to one bowl and dried cherries to the other. I have long been a fan of craisins, but, for the granola, dried cherries are by far my favorite. They have so much flavor, you don't need to add very many. I bought a bag at Costco and I think it will last for about 4 - 5 batches of granola.

Some where online I read that you should store granola in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, so I do.

ENJOY!!!