Crunchy Granola

An accurate description of me? There are some who would say so.

Homemade granola has to be one of my all time favorite breakfast foods. I’ve tried different flavour combinations, but I think the simplest ones tend to be the most satisfying.
It isn’t exactly a low-calorie breakfast cereal, but a little bit fills you up. My husband is the only one who eats big bowls full of it anyway, and he cycles 17 miles to work everyday, so it’s not really a problem for him. I love to make yogurt parfaits with it – bananas, berries, or other fruit sliced into a bowl or glass, plain yogurt on top, followed by a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of granola.

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Cheryl's Crunchy Granola

My original granola recipe. Delicious, crunchy, wholesome goodness.

Course Breakfast

Cheryl (Eat What You Sow) Cheryl (Eat What You Sow)

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup honey (sub agave or more maple syrup if you don't do honey)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup neutral flavoured oil (can reduce to 1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Dry Ingredients

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat germ (or less, or omit for GF)
• 1 cup sesame seeds (or less, or omit)
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 3 cups nuts, chopped (any combination of pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and/or sunflower seeds)
• 2 cups dried fruit (any combination of dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, raisins, apricots, etc.)

Instructions

1. Place wet ingredients in medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture is just about to boil.

   Stir dry ingredients (except dried fruit) together in a large bowl. Pour warm wet mixture over the dry, and stir well to combine.

   Divide the granola between two large baking sheets (lined with parchment, if desired). Put two oven racks in the middle of your oven, and bake the granola for 35 minutes on convection, stirring halfway through. If you don't have a convection oven, just rotate the pans (top to bottom) at the halfway point.

   After stirring, sprinkle two cups of dried fruit over the granola (one cup per sheet). Bake for 10 - 12 more minutes. This brief baking period is just enough to dry the fruit slightly (so the granola doesn't get sticky in storage), without burning it.

   Remove granola from oven, stir, and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Updated Oct. 20/2012 – We still eat this on a regular basis, but I’ve tweaked the recipe somewhat since the original post. I’ve reduced the oil to 1/2 a cup, as I can’t tell the difference, and I don’t see the point in wasting (or consuming) extra oil for no reason (especially if you’re using the expensive organic stuff). I also bake the granola for a total of 45 minutes, adding the dried fruit after a half hour (for the final 15 minutes). I found that the granola would sometimes get sticky in storage as a result of the moisture in the fruit, and this prevents that (don’t put it in for the entire 45 minutes, as it tends to burn).

Check out Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays for other healthy recipe ideas.