Homemade Granola–a Great Start to Your Day

A lot of people spend a lot of money on expensive, "all natural" granola. By stocking up on some bulk items, you can make delicious granola for your family with exactly the ingredients you want in it. This recipe is all about what you like and how sweet (or not) or how crunchy (or not) you like your granola. Play with the amounts, measurements and time to cook to suit your needs.

1/2 c. honey or preserves
1/2 c. juice (fresh, or defrosted concentrate not diluted)
1 T. vanilla extract (optional)
4 c. old-fashioned oats (NOT quick oats or steel-cut oats)
2 c. nuts (almonds, sunflower seeds, trail mix, cashews, pepitas, etc.)
2 T. flax seed
1 t. cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
1 c. raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, apricots or dates

• Preheat oven to 350.
  
• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  
• Place honey, juice, and vanilla in small saucepan and warm over medium heat until smooth. Set aside.
  
• In a large bowl, mix everything but the dried fruit. Pour honey mixture over and mix well.
  
• Spread on sheet pan.
  
• Cook 20 minutes then stir with spatula.
  
• Cook another 10-15 minutes until golden brown (or depending on how crunchy you want it)
  
• Remove from oven, let cool.
  
• Sprinkle dried fruit over and place in an airtight container.

Another option is to use concentrated fruit juice (the stuff in the can in the freezer section) as your liquid binder instead of the honey or preserves. Orange or apple juice works really well depending on your taste. I use about 1 c. of it to moisten the whole batch. No need to heat it up, just defrost it.

store in an air-tight container such as a ziplock bag.  should keep for several weeks, but you'll eat it all by then...