A Granola Tutorial

One of the most popular food items in our house is my homemade granola. If a day or two goes by without it...mayhem ensues! Joe came home from college with a terrible case of granola withdrawal as he had finished the bag I had sent him a week earlier. Jim and Joe begged me to make another batch, so yesterday I decided to teach him the fine (and fun) art of GRANOLA making.


Begin with about 9 cups of old fashioned oats..not quick oats...not steel cut oats.

Add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon....

Add 1 cup of ground flaxseed.....
.

Add 1 cup of wheat germ....
(this looks a little bit weird cuz of the lighting..and it's raw wheat germ...but any kind is fine)

(Optional ingredients at this point....1 cup of unsweetened coconut; 1/2 cup sesame seeds)

Now for the nuts....add 1-2 cups of walnuts...

About 1/2 to 3/4 cup of pignoli (pine nuts)...

About 1 cup of unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)...

Add 1-2 cups of unsalted or lightly salted whole or sliced almonds ....

Add 1 cup of sunflower seeds.....

And stir and stir to mix all the dry ingredients.....

Now the traditional liquid mix to pour over the dry ingredients is a mixture of oil and a sweetner. Typically that is canola oil and honey. For this amt of dry ingredients you would need at least a cup of oil and a cup of honey...but to make it much lower in fat I substitute applesauce for 1 cup of this liquid...so I add:

1 cup of applesauce
+
1/2 cup canola oil
+
1/2 cup of honey
+
2 teaspoons of vanilla for flavoring

Mix together in a heatproof bowl or large glass measuring cup and heat in microwave until bubbly...usually about 2 min on high.

Pour over oat+nut mixture.....

And find a strong armed son to stir the liquid into the dry
ingredients...mix until very well blended.

Pour onto cookie sheets in a thin layer.

Bake at 300 until golden...this usually takes about 15-2o minutes or so...check every 5 min....you may need to stir the mixture once or twice while baking.

Remove from oven when golden brown!

Immediately add the dried fruit of your choice on top of the granola while it is hot...we like dried blueberries, Craisins and raisins. As much or as little as you want.

Cool completely and then seal into a glass jar or
ziploc bags....can store long term in freezer.

Enjoy in a bowl with fresh fruit....mixed with yogurt....or just snack on it dry.
Everyone in the family is much happier when our jar of granola is full!