Homemade Crunchy Granola

I have been making granola since my kids were little and I confess I went through a health food nut stage, reading Prevention Magazine and being somewhat obsessed. I’ve since calmed down and although I will still only eat brown rice- even that’s no longer so!, many of my other strictures have gone by the wayside. Granola when homemade is really pretty good for you as well as delicious, and you can add all sorts of goodies to it as you see fit.

My original recipe is lost in the mists of time but I suspect was from a Prevention recipe. I stopped making it for awhile since the kids grew up and wanted (yikes!) sugar laden cereals and although we compromised on what they would eat, granola wasn’t high on their agenda. DH and I however, are into it again and I particularly like it atop plain lightly naturally sweetened yogurt as a very satisfying breakfast and a delicious snack as well.

I’ve played around with recipes and this one is a combo of many different recipes, although basically, since you add whatever your heart desires, it’s more about the technique than the ingredients.

The rule of thumb is that you do not add raisins or dried fruit of any sort to the baking mixture since it will dry it out and it needs no cooking, so you add it at the end, as well as any already roasted nuts. You only add the unroasted nuts to your mixture. Also, roasted seeds come after baking, and since seeds take a very short time to roast, if you wish to add them, do so only at the tail end of the baking process, not more than about ten minutes of baking time. This recipe is my personal favorite re: nuts and dried fruit but you can add pretty much any nuts you like as well as coconut (not a favorite in my house) and if it’s not roasted, it goes in the baking mixture.

So start with old fashioned rolled oats. You must use this type of oats, the quick or instant do not stand up to baking and it won’t work and too bad. – UPDATE – I couldn’t find rolled oats and decided to live dangerously and use quick oats (Don’t use instant, that’s for sure a no no). It worked but not quite as well as the rolled oats. However, I’m merrily chowing down on this version of the granola, so you can, in fact, use it. Just watch carefully in the oven at the end. This is what they look like and if these look thick and sorta tough looking that’s what you want. After baking they look right, never fear.

Then, assemble all your ingredients, including the dried fruit or roasted nuts since right after baking, you stir them into the granola, you don’t want to fumble them.

There are a few ingredients more lurking in the background that you don’t see, but you get the gist of it. This is basically a one bowl recipe, always nice!

Next, load up everything into a nice big bowl that will hold the whole lot comfortably since you must stir it all well. Don’t forget the orange zest!!

As you can see, the nuts are raw here and therefore I added them to the baking mixture.

Then taking a rimmed baking sheet, also known as a baker’s half sheet (dimensions 17.9 x 12.9 inches) and lay a piece of parchment paper down on it to both keep the sheet clean and to prevent the granola sticking to it. Spread the whole mixture evenly on the pan and it should be one layer which is what you want.

It should be just the amount to cover the pan. Place in preheated oven and don’t stir! Just let bake and check after 20 minutes to make sure your nuts aren’t burning and the oats should turn a nice brown color (but not burnt, keep an eye on it!) and the scent is fabulous. Take out of oven and lightly toss the dried fruit in and let sit till completely cool. When first removed from oven, the oats won’t feel crispy. Don’t worry, they will crisp up as they cool.

Then, after completely cool, store preferably in a tin which will maintain the crispiness.

This should keep nicely for about two weeks. If it’s a larger amount than you can eat, it’s nice to pack some in a pretty jar and give to your daughter in law who spotted it and munched a bit and said WOW and got some to take home with her 🙂 . Otherwise I’ve seen that people store it in the fridge or freezer but the truth is it never lasts that long in my house so I cannot say…

Homemade Crunchy Granola

3 cups (270 grams) old fashioned rolled oats (no other oats will do) – I only had quick oats this time, tried it and it worked. Rolled are better but quick will do.
1/2 cup (118 ml) honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup (118 ml) canola oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I upped it to 2 teaspoons and it was divine)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons grated orange peel – really try not to leave this out since it’s an incredible add-in taste-wise
3/4 cup (108 grams) raw hazelnuts
3/4 cup (108 grams) raw pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup (108 grams) raw cashews
To be added after baking-
1/2 cup (100 grams) dried cranberries
1/2 cup (100 grams) dried cherries
1/2 cup (100 grams) dark or golden raisins
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C degrees. In a large bowl mix together everything but the dried cranberries and dried cherries and raisins and toss till all is coated with the honey, syrup, spices and oil.
Take a rimmed baking sheet and place a piece of parchment paper on it and pour the mixture on it patting it down in the corners till sheet is evenly covered.Bake 25-30 minutes till light brown, do peek after 20 minutes to make sure it’s not over browning. Stir from time to time ONLY if you want a loose granola- for chunky don’t stir – I never stir it and frankly it’s less work that way. Let cool completely in pan. Break into chunks and store in container, preferably in a tin. It should keep very nicely for at least two weeks. Fabulous served over yogurt, eaten as a snack as is or in a bowl with milk. You can’t go wrong!