Granola Head

Granola is one of the most expensive cereals on your local grocers shelf. Those of us who love granola will often breakdown and pay the higher price for a superior breakfast, but we don't have to pay the price by eating store bought granola. I think that some people are perplexed by granola because of the nice large sweet chunks that they are accustomed to in their box granola. I have found that you can make superior granola at home without all of the fillers and for much cheaper. Any time that you make something for yourself you have ultimate control on what goes into the recipe and what is left out. Making your own granola allows you to control the sugar, oil, and salt content. Also, you do not have to include those cheap fillers like rice cereal that many of the leading granolas do.





Here is the method to my granola madness. I dump in about a half a box of Old Fashioned oats into a large bowl. To that I add 2 cups of chopped almonds and 2 cups of chopped walnuts. You can certainly add pecans if you have them. I did not have any when I made this batch, thus they did not join the party. I added some oil, honey, a little brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. The oil and honey pull everything together and help in the browning of the oatmeal. I usually add some maple syrup to the mix as well, but chose not to for this particular batch. As for the oil, I used a mix of vegetable oil and EVOO. Granola is supposed to be healthy and good for you, so the EVOO helps retain the health factor. All of this is mixed together to combine. I spread a thin layer of EVOO over a cookie sheet and spread the oat mix evenly over the sheet. All of this goes in a 275 degree oven for a half an hour.



After the 30 minutes I stirred the oat mixture and placed it back in the oven. Repeat the 30 minutes of cooking, along with the stirring until your granola has reached your desired color. I like to add a little more honey, some cinnamon, and some nutmeg for the last 30 minutes of cooking. Once the granola is good to go, remove it from the oven and place it back in your large bowl so that you can add your dried fruits and coconut, if that is your desire. Customization is key with granola. Make it exactly how you want it. Stop settling for store bought granola and make up exactly what you want. You will not regret it. The hardest part of making granola is not eating it all. Serve it up on some yogurt, ice cream, or just with some milk. It is hearty, healthy, and delicious.