Tried and True-sday -Health

When I was young my Mom would sometimes make granola and I LOVED it. For some reason over the years I had forgotten about how good it was. I had never tried making it before because it seemed like it would be time consuming and complicated. I was SO wrong! I decided to conquer granola making a couple of weeks ago. I did a lot of research into different recipes, baking times, shelf life, etc. After making 5 batches (Which is A LOT of granola) with different recipes and cooking times I've recorded the ultimate granola, which ironically is almost identical to my Mom's original recipe. With Granola there's a base recipe that you can make for plain basic granola, but it's in all the add-ins that make it awesome. So, here you go:

(Ok, so this picture was not making Granola but it was too cute to pass up)

Granola

(basic plain recipe)

10 cups rolled oats

1-1/2 cups wheat germ

1 cup oat bran

1-2 cups sunflower seeds

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup honey

1 cup oil

2 tsp. vanilla

(add ins-you really could put anything in here in any quantity, these are all approximate)

1 cup sesame seeds

3 cups chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, and walnuts)

1/2 cup flax meal

1 Tbsp. pumpkin spice

1/2 cup ground chia seed

1/2 cup poppy seed

1 cup soy nuts

(Post cooking add-ins)

dried cranberries, blueberries, dates

Get a big bowl and pour all the dry ingredients in and then the sugars and wet ingredients. Stir it a long time so that there aren't any more lumps and then spread on a baking sheet with parchment paper. You'll want to spoon enough on to be about 3/4 inch thick. Place in preheated oven 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Then take out of oven and turn/stir it with a spoon to break apart stuck pieces then put back in the oven for another 20 minutes. When it's all done it will still be a little sticky. I poured it out onto the counter and let it cool while I put the next tray in the oven. If you plan on storing it long term put it in an airtight container and then store in a cool dark area. Don't add fruit in until your ready to eat it. Once you put fruit in the shelf life drops to only being about a week.

Tips: You can't mess up Granola! Add anything you want. This is just the recipe that I made that I like the most. You can add shredded coconut, raisins, more/less nuts, more seeds, coconut oil . . . the possibilities are endless. Just know that the more dry ingredients you add beyond the basic recipe means that you will need to compensate by adding more molasses and honey. If you want the longest shelf life possible than you want the mix to be pretty dry, so don't add any extra molasses or liquids and cook it for a minute or two longer on each side. Brett really likes the granola to top yogurt and adds fresh fruit. It's great for ice cream, and I actually made the Graham Cracker crust for my Banoffee Pie with Granola instead and it was delicious! I've been eating this for breakfast every morning for the past two weeks and I haven't gotten sick of it because I can change up what fruit I put inside. It's just so great to know exactly what you're eating instead of the mystery colored cereal or cardboard pieces imitation granola. The closest thing I could find to my granola at the grocery store was an organic blend granola. The bag only held about 2 cups and it didn't have nearly as much stuff in it as this does and it cost $6. It cost me about $15 to make about 35 cups of granola. . I'd say it's totally worth it. It's very easy to make, my boys helped me make the first batch and had a lot of fun. The last three batches were made with my neighbor friend. It's a fun activity to do together. I hope you try it out. Happy Cooking!