Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Granola

I have been making this granola for a while now and it is awesome! (thanks allrecipes!) I generally half the recipe and it still makes a ton. One of the great things about granola is that it is super flexible, I have used all sorts of nut/fruit combinations and they have all been great.

INGREDIENTS:
8 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 1/2 cups oat bran
1 cup sunflower seeds (I generally use 1/2 cup sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup flax seed
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (if I don't have walnuts, I just double the pecans)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (I love maple and so use 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup honey)
3/4 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries (can easily use more)

DIRECTIONS:
1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2.Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3.Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 40 minutes (the original recipe says 20 min but I think they're crazy!). Stir after about 15-20 and then every 5-10 min. Be sure to keep a close eye on it at the end- it burns quickly! Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

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