Homemade Granola

This summer I have been addicted to yogurt and granola for breakfast. It began when I visited my aunt and uncle and she prepared a lovely bowl of fruit for each of us, with homemade granola and yogurt to add as we wanted... which reminded me of a recipe I hadn't made for years.

I got home and dug it out. I have no idea where it came from, but it's ok. I've changed it to suit my taste, or whatever I have in the house on the day I'm making it. Which is the fun part: do whatever you want!

Here's what I've been doing lately, but honestly, add whatever YOU like!

First, preheat your oven to 325° F.  In a large-ish bowl, combine the dry ingredients:

4 C old fashioned oats
1/2 C coarsely chopped almonds
1/2 C coarsely chopped peanuts
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 pinch of salt

Stir those together.

Then in a saucepan, stir together:

1/3 C vegetable oil
1/4 C honey
1/2 C brown sugar

Heat to boiling and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Drizzle the syrup over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Spread it evenly onto a sheet pan. You'll want to either line your pan with parchment (that's what I do) or spray it with cooking spray for easy cleanup.

Bake till golden, about 25 minutes, stirring a couple times in the middle. I "stir" it by piling the edges into the center with a pancake turner, and then pushing the mound back out to the edge of the pan in sort of a fold, just to be sure it all gets a little crunchy. Here's the mound...

After it's finished baking, let it cool and then break it into chunks, or crumble it. Store it in an airtight container.

In the comments, tell me your favorite granola ingredients. I'm always up for trying new ideas!

Enjoy...