Ben’s Homemade Granola

Every couple of weeks my husband makes granola from scratch. He likes to eat it with his morning yogurt but it’s also good on top of ice cream or as a stand alone snack. The beauty of granola is that a lot of ingredients can be added to customize it each time you make it. Here is our basic recipe that you can build upon.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups assorted nuts (such as walnuts, almonds or pecans)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup assorted sweeteners (such as maple syrup, honey or even brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups assorted dried fruit (such as raisins, cranberries, apricots)

Directions:

1. Stir together the oats, coconut and nuts in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan heat the oil, cinnamon, vanilla and sweeteners and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
3. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture. Stir to make sure everything is coated.
4. Spread on one or two baking pans and bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
5. Allow to cool completely on the pan. The mixture will crisp as it cools.
6. Stir in dried fruit and serve or package. Will keep in an airtight container for approximately 1 week.

** Image Credits: Michelle Smith

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