Granola is a breakfast favorite but if you are buying it, it may not be at its freshest and it may have more sugar and fat than you realize. Several years ago I started making granola to accompany the yogurt parfaits that are part of our continental breakfast buffet at The Greenporter Hotel. I decided to make my own after reading the ingredients and realizing the high caloric content of what I was buying.
I hope you’ll adapt this recipe to include your nuts or seeds of choice and if you do not have a large family, I suggest making it in small quantities because the oils in the nuts and seeds may go rancid. I don’t like refrigerating granola because it affects the crispy texture. So make less of it often and you’ll always have this handy as a breakfast cereal or as a topping for yogurt, frozen yogurt or fruit.
2 cups of Old Fashion Oats (large-not the processed kind)
1/4 cup of oat bran
2 tbsps of flax seed (whole or ground)
1 tbsp of sesame seeds
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 tbsps of molasses
2 tbsps of local honey
1/4 cup of coconut oil (canola oil may be subsituted)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of almond extract
1/4 cup of raw pumpkin seed
2 tbsps of raw almond slivers
Butter a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 475
Toss dry ingredients in large bowl
then add wet ingredients quickly
taste the mixture and adjust (add more extract or sugar to taste)
Do not allow to stand or the oats will absorb all the oil and you’ll have to add more (it should have a glisten to it-if not, drizzle a bit more oil)
empty contents into cookie sheet and press into corners
Lower heat of oven to 425 and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on top
allow to cool in the sheet at room temperature (do not remove from the sheet or refrigerate or it will not crisp)
Once cooled, toss in a half cup of dried cranberries (or raisins) along with chopped dried apricot
Store in baggies at rooms temperature in a cool pantry for up to a month. This also makes a great hostess gift displayed in a large Mason jar tied with a ribbon and accompanied by a nice bottle of maple syrup or honey.
