Monday, December 28, 2009

Handcrafted Gifts ~ Fruit and Nut Granola

I like my granola for snacking right out of the bowl. No milk, no yogurt... just eating it with your fingers or a spoon, dry and crunchy. I couldn't find a recipe that was made with natural ingredients, but was still sweet enough to snack on. So I decided to make up my own recipe. After 3 tries and about 8 cups of burnt oats, I think I have finally hit the jackpot. This one turned out rather wonderful and I wanted to share.

Snacking Granola

1. Preheat oven to 300*

2. Combine in a large bowl:
10 cups rolled oats (feel free to mix and match other grains. I used three different mixed grains from my bulk section to get the 10 cups needed)
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raw or halved almonds
1 cup other nuts (the 'pecan pieces' from Trader Joes worked really well.)

3. Stir together in a sauce pan on med/low :
1 1/2 tea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 Tbs Vanilla Extract

4. Mix into the dry mixture until completely saturated.

5. Spread into two baking pans (I used 9X13 Pyrex) and Bake at 300* for 40 minutes... stirring frequently (set a timer for every 7 minutes or so).

6. As soon as it starts to look dry, take out of the oven, stir thoroughly, and allow to cool.

7. When it is completely cool, add in:
2 1/2 cups dried fruit (mix and match works best. I used cranberries and golden raisins.)

8. Place in mason jars and give to girlfriends... or whoever you think would love it. :)

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8 comments

An Almost Unschooling Mom said...

Thanks for working out the recipe - it looks really yummy :)

Katie said...

This looks great, I will be making it this week! I have good recipe too, let me know if you want me to email it to you!
(((((hugs)))))

Hobbit said...

looks yummy!what other grains did you use?

Val in the Rose Garden said...

Katie: Please send it to me! I love granola. ;)

Hobbit: Barley, Triticale Flakes, and Oats. Those three I found at my Fred Meyers bulk section.

Judy said...

Did you use quick oats or regular oats?
PS - I have a Critter Warmer that looks like a bear - I bring it to bed with me at night to warm up the bed - it's so cold in my bedroom.
Peace.

Val in the Rose Garden said...

I always use regular oats. :) Although I have made my own 'instant' oatmeal by putting a bunch in the food processor and then adding dry milk and sugar. The kids thought that was the greatest thing ever.

Tia said...

Hiya Val , Tia from "TiasTime" , sorry I just read your comment , well the tea I normally drink is "Irish tea" , easy to make , just put one teabag per person in a pot , and an extra one "for the pot"...pour over boiling water , allow to "stew" for a moment , pour and add milk/sugar to your taste...again, apologies for just seeing your comment late...enjoy ! and thanks for visiting !

Christina Scovel said...

Thanks for this. I plan to make some!

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