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Homemade Granola

© Allison Tyler

Have you ever made homemade granola? Not only is it easy to do, but you control the amount of fat it contains and can tailor the ingredients exactly to your liking. Store-bought brands never seem to contain enough dried fruit for me and most use fruit that contains sulfur, something I try to avoid, so making my own was a simple solution. Granola also makes a great gift or bake-sale treat if packaged in a pretty glass jar or beautiful tin or even a plastic bag tied with colorful ribbon or decorated with stickers (small bags done this way are a great favor at kid’s birthday parties). You can eat granola for breakfast (cold or hot) with dairy milk, soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, apple juice, etc.; mix it into yogurt or sprinkle it on ice cream (dairy or non); use it as a topping in baked fruit deserts - try it on a baked apple or blueberry crisp; stir some into pancake, waffle or muffin batter; eat it dry as a snack or take it along on a hike for a great energy-boosting munchie. If it goes stale or soggy, throw it outside for the birds to eat – they’ll love it! Before I give you the recipes, here’s some suggestions on what to include in your granola so you can feel free to modify the recipes below to suit your tastes:

Grains
Rolled oats (this is the main ingredient usually – also try rolled barley, rye or other grain)
Cereal flakes (wheat, bran, corn, kamut, rice, rye, spelt, etc.)
Millet
Popped amaranth
Toasted quinoa (well rinsed)
Wheat germ

Seeds (unsalted)
Flax seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Squash seeds
Sunflower seeds

Nuts (unsalted - sliced, slivered, chopped or whole)
Almonds
Cashews
Hazelnuts
Macadamia nuts
Peanuts
Pecans
Pistachios
Soy nuts
Walnuts

Dried Fruit (chopped or whole)
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Blueberries
Cherries
Coconut (shredded or flaked)
Cranberries
Currants
Dates
Figs
Mango
Papaya
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Raisins
Strawberries

Liquid
Butter or margarine (melted)
Oil (canola, safflower, vegetable, etc.)
Unsweetened fruit juice (apple, cranberry, grape, orange, pear, etc.)
Water

Sweeteners
Frozen unsweetened fruit juice concentrate – apple, cranberry, grape, orange, pear, etc.
Honey
Maple syrup
Molasses
Rice syrup
Sugar (white or brown)

Flavorings/Additions
Carob or chocolate chips (add after the granola has cooled)
Flavoring extract – almond, vanilla, etc.
Dry milk or soy powder
Orange zest (or other citrus zest)
Peanut butter (or other nut butter)
Spices – cardamom, cinnamon, ground ginger, mace, nutmeg, etc.

To make granola, put your Grains, Seeds and Nuts together in one bowl and combine well. You can add the Dried Fruit at this point if you’d like it to become very dry and chewy. If not, try adding the dried fruit about 10 minutes before the end of the baking time, after you remove the granola from the oven or after the granola has cooled completely. Try the variations and see which way you prefer. Mix your Liquid, Sweeteners and Flavorings/Additions together in another bowl and combine well. You can heat this mixture in a small pan while stirring over medium heat if necessary to melt the butter or margarine (or nut butter) and dissolve any sugar you may be using. Add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and combine well. Spread out on a large baking sheet (I like to use a jelly roll pan because it has sides). Brown the granola in a pre-heated oven (usually about 250 to 300 degrees F) for 30 - 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so (to break up chunks, prevent burning and ensure even browning) until golden. Once you have the basic technique down, let your imagination take over and create the granola that fits your tastes perfectly.