I have great memories of a time one or two years ago when two of my friends and I got the urge to make homemade granola. After a “quick” Whole Foods run, a pecan-chopping adventure (involving two cans, a bowl and some saran wrap) and a lot of taste-testing, we ended up with some of the best granola I’ve ever eaten. This all occurred in Tram’s kitchen with my two favorite journalism students.
Groceries
I got the taste for homemade granola last week, so I worked it into my grocery budget. The main ingredient (rolled oats, aka oatmeal) is incredibly cheap, but I had to dance around some prices for the nuts (a necessity). I had about a cup of slivered almonds in my pantry, so I just needed to buy a bag of walnuts. I had everything else on hand in my pantry.
Recipe
As with everything else, I worked with what I had and ended up with my own version of a granola recipe. I’m currently munching on still-warm oatmeal mixed with unsweetened plain yogurt, and it’s delicious.
Ingredients
- 5 cups rolled oats
- 3 cups chopped or slivered nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts…)
- 2 1/2 cups dried coconut flakes (I only had sweetened, but I definitely recommend unsweetened)
- 1 1/2 cups raisins and/or craisins
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add wet ingredients to the mixture. Hint: If you use the same cup to measure the honey that you already measured the oil with, the honey will come right out! Mix well.
- Place 1-2 inches thick in cake or loaf pans and bake.
- Gently mix approximately every six minutes. Take it out when it’s a light golden color. Don’t overcook!
Approval
As always, Stephen got to do his official taste test, and he even waited until it had slightly cooled. He ate a bowl with yogurt as well and proclaimed it delicious. I think I can take his frequent trips to the kitchen to grab extra bites of granola as a good sign…
I was JUST thinking of our granola yesterday!
I miss the days!
I’ve been trying to come up with a granola BAR recipe. That’s why those fond memories came up.
Looks delicious by the way!
Yum, let me know whenever you come up with a recipe!