Basic Granola

Hello all!  I am currently in the middle of a family vacation so this post comes to you from a hotel lobby!  Recipes may not be quite as frequent for a few weeks, but I still have a few things ready to share with you!

Speaking of on the road, one of the snacks we have packed for munching in the car is granola.  Several months ago I was planning for this trip and started collecting all my recipes for granola, figuring I could eliminate a few on site and then just whip up a couple batches and choose our favorites.  Badda bing.  Badda boom.  Turns out, it is not that simple.  Where one recipe may be made with brown sugar, melted butter and cinnamon, another might be maple syrup, canola oil, honey and orange juice.  The oat, nut, and dried fruit combos didn’t bother me because those I could mix and match to suit our tastes.  But the actual syrup base that gets poured over everything, making it crunchy and toasty-endless combinations.  The other problem I had was that they all tasted good.  I mean, other than maybe bland, have you ever had bad granola?  I didn’t think so.  It is good for you, crunchy, sweet, great on yogurt, and if you grew up in my parent’s house, usually served dumped in a bowl with milk.  Whats not to like?!  How could I choose?

So this is what I did.  I tested and tweaked and came up with my own basic recipe.  Nothing fancy, minimum ingredients, least amount of steps.  That is what I was going for.  I still have a stack of ideas for other, more complicated, and I am sure just as good, granola recipes.  But when I want to make it in bulk, fast and simple for everyday use, this is now my plain, base recipe.  Good crunch and good flavor.  Great sprinkled on yogurt, ice cream, stirred into cookies, or added to trail mix.  Or go old school and just dump it in a bowl with milk.

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Granola
This will keep for several weeks in an airtight container.  If you want to make a double batch, it freezes for several months as well.

3 c rolled oats-not quick cooking
1 c sliced almonds
1 c chopped walnuts or pecans (or a mix of the two)
1 c shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c pure maple syrup
1/4 c canola oil

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.  In a separate bowl mix together the last two ingredients.  Pour over the oat mixture and mix and toss until thoroughly combined.  Dump onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toasted to desired color.  Be sure to stir it every ten minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Add dried fruit of your choice.

Note: You can use honey in place of the maple syrup, but we found we liked the flavor of the maple better.  Feel free to change it up if you like.