Granola

A friend of mine from Dallas Theological Seminary often makes huge batches of granola for seminary wives’ events. After eating some of hers, I knew I needed the recipe. I much prefer this to store-bought granola, and it’s much healthier! I’ve tweaked a few things here and there to suit my taste and my cooking style.

2 c. nuts and seeds (pecans, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, etc.), broken into pieces
3 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 c. canola oil
1/4 c. real maple syrup
1/4 c. honey

1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or other dried fruit (optional)

Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix oats, nuts, seeds, and coconut together in large bowl.

Heat maple syrup, honey, and oil in small saucepan, whisking occasionally until warm.

Pour mixture over dry ingredients; stir with spatula until mixture is thoroughly coated. Turn mixture onto an 11-by-7-inch jelly roll pan, spreading mixture in an even layer.

Bake, stirring and respreading mixture into an even layer every 10 minutes, until granola is golden brown, usually about 30 minutes.

Stir in dried fruit if desired, then spread granola evenly in pan; set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Loosen dried granola with a spatula; store in airtight container.

*You can use whatever combination of nuts and seeds you like: pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, etc. Just try to keep the amount of dry ingredients to 5 1/2 c. or the syrup mixture won’t provide a good coverage.

*I like to mix 1/4 c. granola with 1 heaping Tbsp. of plain, nonfat yogurt or Greek yogurt for breakfast.

*I added an unmeasured amount of Saigon cinnamon to my nut mixture, and I added an unmeasured amount of vanilla extract to my syrup mixture. Great combination!

Tags: coconut, cranberry, dried fruit, granola, honey, oats, peanut, pecan, walnut

• January 11, 2011
• Breakfast
• 2 Comments