Honey Maple Vanilla Granola

The simple goodness of granola is easy to overlook. It adds crunch and flavor to the simplest serving of yogurt or ice cream. It fends off hunger when eaten by the handful as a quick snack.  The flavors and textures of the parts compliment each other so well, yet if you eat it piece by piece, you can savor each individual ingredient.

We’d forgotten how much we love granola, until my husband brought home a bag this winter. It was gone in two days! It’s super easy and cheap to make a big batch of granola. The best part is you can tailor all the ingredients to your personal preferences or what’s in your pantry.  Now, there’s almost always a container of fresh granola in our kitchen.

Here’s my recipe.  Use it as is, or adapt it to your own liking:

Honey Maple Vanilla Granola

5 cups oats

3/4 cup raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 cups raw almonds, chopped

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup wheat germ

2 T Cinnamon

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup oil

1 t vanilla

1 cup dried fruit

First, spray a rimmed 11 x 17 baking sheet with non-stick spray. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Add all the dry ingredients (except the dried fruit) together in a large bowl and stir well.

Mix the honey, maple syrup, oil and vanilla together. Pour over dry ingredients and stir well.

Spread the mixture on the baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes.  Stir the granola. Bake 10 more minutes. Stir again.  Possibly bake 5 more minutes.

Bake until the granola is a golden light brown. Remember, it will dry out more as it cools.  Don’t overbake!

After removing from the oven, stir in the dried fruit. In this batch I used 1/3 cup raisins and 2/3 cup tropical fruit.  My favorite combination is half cherries, half blueberries. Let the granola cool in the pan. If you want to add mini chocolate chips, wait until the granola is completely cool. Store in air-tight containers.  Enjoy!

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