Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Homemade Granola!


So a while back my sister, Kim, made the BEST granola ever!!!! She was kind enough to share that recipe with me, and it's become my kids favorite granola now too! I couldn't find the recipe last night so panic struck me. I called and texted Kim several times, but I FINALLY found it. (At 10:30pm. . .and it took about two hours to bake. . .was a late night!) The original recipe is slightly different, called for lots of nuts, but I didn't have any so I just upped the amount of coconut and oats used. I make a huge batch of this every few weeks, and it's not around for long! Dave eats it with just about everything. . .and also by the handful! It's a pretty basic recipe, leaving room for you to add in just about anything you like! (Raisins, cranberries, slivered almonds, etc!) The kids were thrilled to get up and have Parfaits for breakfast! Vanilla Greek Yogurt, layered with raspberries, a drizzle of honey, and granola! Great way to start the day! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe Kim! 


HOMEMADE GRANOLA

4 cups oats
2 cups coconut
1/4 plus 2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 plus 2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
1Tbsp vanilla or almond extract
1/2 tsp salt (if you're not a fan of sodium: leave it out!)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, vanilla/almond extract, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.
Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, ( had to go for about 2 hours to get it done) stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.