Granola

I could eat granola all day long.  For breakfast, I mix it with other, less sweet cereals.  At lunch, yogurt with fresh fruit is so much better with a bit of granola topping.  At night, a scoop of ice cream with a sprinkle of granola and a dollop of chocolate or caramel sauce is my idea of a divine dessert.

Granola is so easy to make, it’s almost a crime to buy it ready-made.  Although it may not be less expensive than store-bought, you can customize the homemade version and it tastes so much fresher.  Besides, it’s a great way to use up odds and ends of nuts and seeds.  

This recipe does not include raisins or other dried fruit.  You can certainly add dried fruit; if you do so, add it after baking the granola, while it cools.  I prefer not to because moisture from the dried fruit tends to soften the cereal if they sit together, and for some purposes (e.g. on ice cream), I prefer granola without dried fruit. Anyway, you can always add dried fruit when you eat or serve the granola.

Granola

Servings - about 6½ cups / 2 lbs    Cost - $12.30 for batch / $6.15 per pound

Ingredients  

• 3 cups old fashioned (not quick) oats
• 2 cups nuts (I used a mix of cashews, pecans, slivered almonds and cashews)
• ¾ cup shredded (sweetened) coconut
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• ½ cup (raw) sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup oil (canola, safflower or similar, but not olive or other oil with strong taste)

Equipment 

• 1 large bowl
• measuring cup (for liquids)
• measuring cups (for solids)
• measuring spoons 
• small saucepan
• large spoon
• pancake turner or other implement for stirring the granola while it is baking
• 2 large cookies sheets with low sides

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Measure and combine the oats, nuts, coconut, sesame and sunflower seeds in the bowl.  
3. Combine the dark sugar, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, salt, and oil in the saucepan and heat together until the mixture simmers, stirring until the cinnamon and salt dissolve and everything is well mixed.
4. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix until the liquid is evenly dispersed.
5. Spread half of the mixture on each cookie sheet and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the oats, coconut, and nuts are nicely browned.  Turn or stir about halfway through cooking.  When it first comes out of the oven, the granola will seem a bit moist.  It will get crunchy as it cools.
6. Let it cool on the cookie sheets or in a bowl.  Once cool, store in a tightly closed container.

Cost   

Ingredient	Cost	Cost Explanation
3 cups old fashioned oats	$2.64	42 oz for $4.79/$.11 oz
2 cups nuts	$5.00	average $2.50 per cup
¾ cup shredded coconut	$1.14	14 oz for $2.69/$.19 oz
¼ cup sesame seeds	$1.04	16 oz for $8.40/$.52 oz
½ cup (raw) sunflower seeds	$1.00	16 oz. for $3.99/$.25 oz
¼ cup dark brown sugar	$0.24	32 oz for $1.99/$.06 oz
3 tablespoons maple syrup	$0.75	12.75 oz for $6.49/$.51 oz
2 tablespoons honey	$0.33	12 oz for $3.99/$.33 oz
½ teaspoon cinnamon	$0.00	pantry
½ teaspoon salt	$0.00	pantry
¼ cup oil	$0.16	48 oz for $3.74/$.08 oz
Total	$12.30

Comments

[the wicked noodle]

I'm a big granola lover, too. I've been meaning to post my recipe for it since forever!! Okay, you've inspired me!!

[motherwouldknow]

Kristy - Excellent. Can't wait to see your recipe. I'll never go back to store-bought and love having different varieties to choose from.

[Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos]

I can't do the store-bought, ESP. after reading this :) So much more better to make your own. Guess I know what one of my kitchen experiments will be this weekend.

[motherwouldknow]

Excellent. I like this basic recipe and method - you can switch in or out lots of different ingredients. If you like the taste of this one, I'd say the coconut, maple syrup and of course oats are key.

[Penny]

This is a wonderful recipe; although I do enjoy adding dried fruits. I don't use honey in my cooking; you are not supposed to eat cooked honey; it putrifies in your stomach and causes it to upset. In addition, cooking honey kills all of the nutrients that it contains; so it's basically broken down to simple sugar when it is heated. You can simply Google "eating cooked honey", and it will supply you with many reasons why you should not consume it.

[motherwouldknow]

Glad you like the recipe. I've never heard the "no cooked honey" suggestion. Does it apply even to baked goods like honey cake? If so, my grandmother and mother would laugh as my family and many others have been eating honey cake for decades and maybe longer with no ill effects. I'll try to check out the suggestion with medical authorities I trust and see what they say. Thanks for the heads up.