Homemade Granola

Have you ever made granola before? I'm going to show you how. 



Granola is not only a delicious way to start the morning, it also makes for a nice Christmas gift (shout out to Carrie), a yummy topping for ice cream or yogurt, or a good snack to have on hand.  Plus, it's highly customizable, depending on your likes.

This is a simple recipe I adapted and have been enjoying for the last week.  The concise version is at the bottom of this post.



What you need: Oats, oat bran, wheat germ, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, oil, maple syrup, honey, and about 30 minutes of free time.

Begin by measuring all your ingredients:



4 cups rolled oats (any kind)



3/4 cup oat bran



3/4 cup wheat germ



3/4 tsp salt



1/4 cup brown sugar



1/2 cup honey and 2 Tbs maple syrup



1/2 cup vegetable or coconut oil



Pour all those wet ingredients into a small sauce pan and then add 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (Just eye-ball it)

1 and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (Just eye-ball that, too)



Mix all the dry ingredients together (except the brown sugar - put that into the sauce pan with the wet ingredients.

 

Stop and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.



Now bring the saucepan up to a boil.  Quickly remove from heat once it boils.



Mix the boiling mixture with the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.



Spread evenly on your baking sheet, and bake in the oven on 300 degrees F until toasted.  There are only a few minutes between "toasted" and "burned," so stay in the kitchen and stir the stuff every 5 minutes.  When you can smell it, it's probably just about done.

 

Heads up - granola clumps together as it cools, so let it cool completely before you start breaking it up.  Unless you don't like clumpy granola... in that case, keep stirring it as it cools to keep it from clumping.

Voila!  You can add most any kind of nut or seed, if you like.  Just mix it in before you bake.  If you want to add dried fruit, you should do that after it bakes.  Enjoy!   

Ingredients
    •    4 cups rolled oats
    •    3/4 cup wheat germ
    •    3/4 cup oat bran
    •    3/4 teaspoon salt
    •    1/4 cup brown sugar
    •    2 tablespoons maple syrup
    •    1/4 cup honey
    •    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    •    1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    •    1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
    1.    Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    2.    Combine the oats, wheat germ, salt, and oat bran in a large bowl. Stir together 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 sheet.
    3.    Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Cool, then store in an airtight container.