Homemade Granola

Warning - this stuff is extremely addictive!!  I can't walk by the jar without helping myself to some.  It is sooooo good!  And healthy.  And easy.  I did have a nice big jar of it, but it's going down rapidly.  I'll be making another batch soon.

This recipe took no time at all, was fun, and like so many things that are often just bought pre-packaged at the store, extremely satisfying to make.  I love granola but very rarely buy it.  For one thing, it can be expensive.  For another, one look at the ingredient list and this seemingly healthy snack isn't always so healthy.  At least with homemade granola, you control exactly what goes into it and how much, not to mention no preservatives of course, and no added sugar.  This delicious nutty granola is naturally sweetened with maple syrup and dried fruit. 

I had a few different recipes set aside, but finally decided on this one from Jamie Oliver (yes, another Jamie recipe - what can I say.......).  It got rave reviews when I googled it and best of all, I had all of the ingredients and didn't have to buy a single thing to make it.  Don't you love when that happens?

I basically made the recipe as written, with a few tweaks which are noted below.  The great thing about this recipe is you can just use whatever you happen to have on hand to suit you and your family's tastes. 

One thing I want to mention is that while baking, I wasn't sure if it was going to get crispy or not.  You stir it every five minutes and at the fifteen minute mark it was still too "wet" for my liking.  I needn't have worried though, as ten minutes later it was perfectly done and ready to come out of the oven.  Crispy and delicious.  So don't worry if it seems to be taking a while to crisp up, it'll be fine.  Do keep an eye on it though - you don't want it to burn.

My favourite way to eat granola is mixed with Greek yogurt, but it's also great right out of the jar, or with milk.

However you like to eat your granola, you'll love this healthy, tasty snack, and you'll love that you made it yourself.

Enjoy!

Homemade Granola
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2 cups quick cook oatmeal (not instant)
1 heaped cup mixed nuts (I used hazelnuts, slivered almonds, walnuts, and pecans)
1/4 cup mixed seeds (sunflower, poppy, pumpkin, sesame) (I'm not fond of seeds so didn't use)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (I used raisins and dried cranberries)
5 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (I used 7 tablespoons of maple syrup)
5 tablespoons of olive oil (I used 3 tablespoons of canola oil)*

*I was really hesitant about adding olive oil as it does have a very distinct flavour. I chose to add a bit more maple syrup instead and a little less oil, and replaced the olive oil with canola oil. It was perfect (for us) and I would do the same again.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Put your dry ingredients, including the coconut and cinnamon but not the dried fruit, on a sheet pan with sides.  Stir well and smooth out.  (I found it easier to mix all together in a large bowl and then dump it on to the sheet pan).  Drizzle with the maple syrup and a little oil and stir again.  Smooth it down with a wooden spoon.  Place the pan in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes (I baked mine for about 25 minutes total).  Every 5 minutes or so, take the granola out and stir it, then smooth it down with a wooden spoon and put it back into the oven.  While it's toasting, roughly chop up any large dried fruit.  When the granola is nice and golden, remove it from the oven, mix in the dried fruit, and let it cool down.

Once cooled, serve the granola in individual bowls with some milk or a dollop of natural yogurt.  You can keep any leftover granola in an airtight container for about 2 weeks, but it's so delicious I'll be surprised if it lasts that long!

Makes enough to fill a large jar (about 4-5 cups).

Source:  Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution




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