Saturday, February 12, 2011

Down to Earth Granola

This is a recipe that my new friend Kathy shared with me on Friday. She said it's the healthiest and definitely the best granola she's ever tasted. I knew I'd have to try it :-)

The thing about granola is that you can come up with your own variations. This time I kept it simple with just some dried cranberries, but next time, I have some awesome ideas to add.

I can't wait to top some yogurt or vanilla ice cream with this granola. The smell all through my house is absolutely incredible. Enjoy :)

Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

In a large bowl, mix together the following:

4 cups old fashioned Mothers Oats (traditional Quaker oatmeal)

1 ½ cups sliced almonds

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

In a bowl, warm ¼ cup oil (You can sub applesauce for the oil if you'd like), ¼ cup honey, and 1 tsp vanilla – Mix with a wire wisk.

Carefully pour liquid mixture over the oat mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon.

Spread in a 10 x 15 pan. (I use a cookie sheet with a “lip” on it.)

The original recipe calls for a bake time of 40 minutes; I tried this the first time I made the recipe and it was completely burnt. Now, I only bake for 20 minutes. Basically, I bake it until it begins to turns darker. Once you see the color changing, take it out right away, because it will burn quickly due to the sugar. It is also important to stir every 5-8 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.

After removing from oven, add 1 ½ cup raisins or dried fruit of your choice.

Let cool (the granola will harden as it cools…) and then store in Ziploc bag in refrigerator or freezer.

Makes 9 cups.

(The amount of sugar can be cut in half also, I left it at 1 1/2c because I like a sweeter granola)

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