Homemade Granola

A week or so ago, I was out grabbing some groceries, and one of the items on the list was granola.  I chucked our usual brand into the cart, and just stood there for a minute.  I thought to myself "why the hell am I buying this stuff?  I can just make it, and I can guarantee it will taste better than the bagged assortment I just put in my cart".  So I put it back immediately, and googled "homemade granola" right there in the cereal aisle, creating a minor road block for a few minutes.  Oh well, it was for the greater good of my breakfast.  Plus, grannies hold up  traffic in grocery store aisles all the time.  It was my turn.

This stuff is delicious.  I could eat it by the handfull (and I do), but it's also great on yogurt!

Homemade Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 raw, unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw, unsalted macadamia nuts, chopped into small bite sized pieces

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries and/or apricots  - optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, nuts, seeds, cinnamon and salt.

In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and maple syrup.  **I put unmelted butter and syrup in the same bowl, and placed in the microwave until the butter almost completely melted.

Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and mix together until well coated.

Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 30-45 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally so the mixture browns evenly.  The browner the granola gets, the crunchier the granola will be.

Place sheet on a wire rack to cool completely.  You will notice that the granola may still be sticky when it is removed from the oven but it will become crisp and dry as it cools.  Make sure to break up any large clumps while it is still warm.

Once the granola has completely cooled, you can add the dried fruit if you wish.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for several weeks.

Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking