Granola

GranolaWild Oats
While on vacation (read: comatose and drooling) after the holiday season, I found myself making a lot of granola. Homemade granola just tastes better, And while it may have a lot of fat, it’s easy to convince yourself that even after the fifteenth bowl you’re doing something good for your body. Plus, I was really tired of being in the kitchen. Having a large supply of granola meant that I could stay in bed past 7 AM, and be reasonably sure that the kids would feed themselves. Maybe.

I have used the same recipe for granola for years, and I have yet to find another one I like better. I adapted it from an Alton Brown recipe.

When it comes to granola, I am very particular. I don’t like sunflower seeds and I don’t want anything else “weird” in it (i.e. flax, chia, whatever). I am a granola traditionalist. I like oats, coconut, pecans, almonds and raisins. I also like it chunky—I don’t want to feel like I am eating Muesli.

So I substitute 1/2 of the maple syrup for what we call *Syntho-Syrup otherwise known as Log Cabin. The Syntho-Syrup has more stickiness to it, so you have to break the granola into chunks once it cools.

I have listed the original Alton Brown recipe below with notes about the changes I made. Feel free to mix it up to suit your own tastes. 

Granola
Original recipe from Alton Brown with adaptations in italic
From the Food Network

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews (I use pecans.)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
(I substitute 1/2 the maple syrup for Log Cabin.)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, (*Syntho-Syrup), oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color (I don’t stir the granola, I leave it alone and break it up after it cools.)

Remove from oven, add raisins and mix until evenly distributed. Let cool.

 

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