Granola

(For Jess)

I made my first batch of granola yesterday.

Well, actually, I made my first two batches of granola yesterday.

I burnt the first batch rather badly. I guess my oven runs a bit hot, or at least I have hot spots in my oven. The second batch, however, turned out splendidly.

Jess asked for the recipe I used, so here it is. More of a guideline or formula than a recipe, really.

Basic Granola Recipe

4 cups grains (I used oatmeal and some mixed grain oat cereal)
1/2 cup nuts (almonds and pecans for me!)
1/2 cup sweetener (I used honey, but it could be any mix of honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar thinned to a syrup with water)
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla (I added 1/8 tsp almond extract because I had it in the house)

Preheat oven to 275F. Mix the grains and nuts in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix the sweetener, oil, and vanilla. Add the liquids to the large bowl and stir to coat all the grain mixture. Spread on to baking sheets and place in oven.

Here was the tricky part. The original recipe I looked at called for 325F and stirring the granola at 10 minutes for a total of 20 minutes toasting time. That was waaaaaay too much! I lowered to temperature, but I also checked on the granola and stirred it every 5 minutes instead. It was done in 10 minutes!

Since your oven may be different than mine I recommend checking the oven often and paying attention to the smell. ‘Done’ smells just like oatmeal cookies do when they are done – the kitchen fills with the yummy smell of baked oats!!

After your granola is lightly toasted you can add raisins or other dried fruit to it to suit your tastes.