Monday, March 2, 2009

Granola Crunchers

Maddie and I made granola today. It really is so good and super easy to make. I had a few people ask for the recipe so I thought I'd just post it here! I am not much of a "measurer" (yes I made that word up) so please keep in mind this is more of a guide to follow and you can modify it as you like it!






Banman's Granola


2 cups rolled oats (NOT quick oats-yucky!)


1/4 cup oat bran


1/4 cup wheat germ (these two can be substituted with each other but you need something fine to help hold it together)



2 Tbsp brown sugar (I use demorera )


1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)


1 cup "extras" **see below


1/4 cup maple syrup (I use blackstrap molases for the iron but I also often do half blackstrap, half honey...and I have used agave nectar too...that's a good one.)

3 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil OR coconut oil. others are NOT an option!!)


1 Tbsp water



Throw it all in a big bowl and stir it up (that's Maddie's job!) Once it is all combined, put it on a baking sheet (I use a pampered Chef bar pan lined with parchment paper...parchment paper is AWESOME, makes clean up a breeze. I fold the paper up and reuse it too as we make granola once a week.) When you pour the mixture onto the pan, use your (washed) hands to smoosh it together and spread it out evenly in the pan.



Bake for 30 minutes at 275. Let it cool in the pan completely before you put it in an airtight container.



**Extras**



we make two kinds of granola at our house cause some of us (eh hem, not naming any names) don't like nuts...



Apple Cinnamon Granola extras:
(combine these items to equal 1 cup)



-crunchy dried apples cut into bits (Lakeview Market has good crunchy ones)
-krispy cereal (like rice krispy treats..Sav-on has it in the bulk)

-Cinnamon

-coconut (I use half small and half large pieces. Again, Sav-on has the big flakes)

-flax seeds



Good Stuff Granola extras:

(combine these items to equal 1 cup)



-raw almonds

-raw pumpkin seeds

-raw sunflower seeds

-coconut flakes

-flax seeds

-raisins

-dried cranberries (the cranberries and raisins should be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking time.)

2 comments:

Jill Macknicki said...

Thanks for the recipe. I can't wait to get to the store to buy the ingredients that I don't have around the house and then I'm going to make some.

Unknown said...

one note...we all prefer the oat bran to wheat germ...i rarely use wheat germ these days as i figured out that was the ingredient my kids didnt like.

If you don't have oat bran, you can blend oats in your blender!