Homemade Granola

Granola really is the perfect snack. I love it with milk, fresh berries and yogurt or even just on it's own. We seem to go through quite a bit in our house, and since it's not too cheap, I thought I'd look up a few recipes and see if I couldn't make some in bulk. I found that most recipes had the same basic ingredients and that they were all super adaptable, making it easy to work with what you have in your pantry. We are big fans of cinnamon and vanilla, so I added added both to the recipe. I also included some pumpkin seeds because I love their texture!

Honey & Almond Granola

7 cups of rolled oats

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup hulled and roasted pumpkin seeds

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup canola oil

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 T vanilla

Combine oats, coconut, almonds, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir well. Measure the remaining ingredients into a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Slowly pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread mixture out over two cookie sheets and bake in a 325 degree oven for twenty minutes. Be sure to stir the mixture once or twice while baking. The granola is done when the oats become a golden brown (they will not necessarily be crunchy until they cool). 

This recipe for homemade granola is fantastic! It is sweet and crunchy and the clusters are just the right size! It is also very economical... by my calculations about 1/3 the price of a store bought box!