Granola

 Originally posted by Modern-Day Ma on July 13, 2018

I’ve been making this recipe since my kids were wee ones, crawling about the kitchen while I measured and stirred.  They’ve grown up eating it atop my homemade plain yogurt with a dollop of homemade jam since they were old enough to chew. It’s equally as good with a splash of milk.  Whichever way you serve it, be sure to scatter some fruit (fresh or dried) over your serving before tucking in.

It may require a trip to the store to pick up some of the ingredients, but I promise it’s worth it.  It makes a large batch, which can be stored at room temperature for up to two months in an airtight container. Plus, your house will fill with the delicious scent of toasting oats, nuts, cinnamon and nutmeg. It makes great gifts for friends, neighbors and teachers at any time of the year. Enjoy!

Granola

9 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 ¼ cups coarsely chopped or sliced raw nuts (I use a half chopped pecans and half sliced almonds)
1/2 – 1 cup sunflower seeds
2 ¼ cups shredded coconut (mine is the sweetened kind)
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
¾ cup flax seeds, ground
¾ cup brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ bean freshly grated nutmeg (1 tsp)

1 stick butter (mine is salted)
½ cup honey
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a very large bowl and stir to combine.

Melt the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Drizzle the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients, mixing well until everything seems moistened.

Spread the granola evenly on three 10 x 17-inch baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove pans from the oven and use a spatula to stir the granola around — the edges may have started to brown a bit, and the idea is to move it often enough that all of it browns without any of it burning.

Put the pans back in the oven (switching their positions), and bake another 10 minutes, then stir them around and return them to the oven for 5 more minutes (total oven time is 25 minutes at this point).

Evaluate the granola for doneness: it should be fairly golden and toasted-looking; if it’s not, return it to the oven for 3-5 minutes at a time, stirring at each checking until it’s done.

Allow the finished granola to cool completely before storing in a large, airtight container.

EDITED TO ADD:  Here is my favorite storage container for keeping the granola fresh in my pantry.

 

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