Good Granola!

I started making my own granola several years ago. I played around with some recipes until I came up with one I liked. So this is based on my preferences. You can change it based on yours. Basically you need 7 cups of dry ingredients, most of which will be oats. You need a cup of liquids and a cup of dried fruit. It's that simple.

Here's my recipe:

4 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans and almonds)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 honey
1 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries and dates)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, except for the fruit.


In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add honey and stir to combine. It should be the color of, well, honey.


Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Get in there and get the dry stuff on the bottom of the bowl, too. This may take a few minutes, but make sure it's all coated. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet. My cookie sheet is rather large and all of the granola will fit onto it. You might need to divide it up between two cookie sheets.


Bake at 200 degrees for an hour, stirring gently every 15 minutes. This will make a slightly crunchy granola. If you want a little more crunch, bake a few minutes longer. But watch it carefully and don't let it get too brown. It should be golden and the edges will be a bit darker.


Let the granola cool for about 30 minutes. Add the dry fruit and mix in as you break up the granola. Store in an airtight container. Then, because it's a healthy snack as well as a breakfast cereal, pour yourself a bowl and enjoy. Don't wait until morning!

This recipe is linked to Blessed with Grace's Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.