Granola, believe it or not, is actually one of the easiest and cheapest snacks to make at home. There are so many ways to do it that I had trouble deciding which recipe to use. In the end, I decided to give you a basic idea and let you pick out the best ingredients. My kids love it made with honey, unsalted sunflower seeds, and dried cranberries - we call it "honey oats" to make it sound more appealing. Sprinkle this tasty mixture over yogurt, cereal, or ice cream, or eat it just as it is.
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup your choice of any combination of chopped peanuts or almonds, shelled pumpkin or sunflower seeds, dry roasted soybeans, or flaked coconut
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger, if desired
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup oil (you can use EVOO, coconut oil, or plain old vegetable oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dried fruit of your choice
1) In a large bowl, mix together your oats, nuts and seeds, brown sugar, and spice if desired. Whisk your honey or maple syrup, oil, and extract together separately, then stir the wet mixture into the oat mixture. Spread onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
2) Bake for about twenty minutes in a preheated 250 degree oven if you are using quick-cooking oats, or 300 degree oven for old-fashioned oats. Stir once or twice during cooking. At such a low temperature, it is hard to burn the oats, so leave them in a little longer if you think they aren't brown enough.
3) Stir immediately after removing the granola from the oven, then spread into a thin layer on a piece of parchment paper and let them cool completely. You will have to break it apart once it has cooled.
4) Stir in your dried fruit and store in an airtight container. I have never had a batch go bad, and one batch usually lasts my family a couple of weeks at least.
You can experiment with different flavors and mixtures to get something that your family will love. Try using chopped dried apple and cinnamon, a dried tropical fruit mixture, or even lemon or almond extract instead of vanilla. To mix up a batch designed to improve women's health, add 1 to 2 tbsp fennel seed to the oats and mix in dried raspberries after toasting. This is a great way to test your creativity in the kitchen without worrying about wasting ingredients - whatever you do, it will still be tasty!
