Homemade Granola

Now that I am getting older I find myself paying more attention to what I eat, I used to chew on energy bars whenever hunger hit me in between meals. Then one day I started reading the ingredients that go into each bar, and to my surprise its not all healthy eating as I thought. So began the crusade of making my own granola from scratch, where I can control the ingredients that go in my granola.

This is a simple granola recipe that makes about 12 cups or more. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a big bowl, toss together 5 cups of old fashioned oats, 2 cups of whole almonds (slivered almonds if you prefer, I like them whole), 2 cups sun flower seeds. In a small bowl mix together 1 cup vegetable oil and ¾ cup of honey (use one that you like, I use blueberry honey). Pour liquids into the oats and combine until all the oats and nuts are coated well. I use 2 half sheet pans for this recipe. Pour half of the mixture onto a half sheet pan and spread it out evenly, do the same with the remaining half. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how hot your oven is, stirring occasionally so it browns evenly. Once it has a golden brown color it is done (be careful and watch closely for it not to burn).



Once you have it out of the oven, let it cool for about 2-3 minutes then start stirring, it is important that you don’t skip this part or your granola will stick to the pan (happened to me the first time). Transfer granola mixture into a big bowl and toss in 2 cups dried cranberries and 2 cups raisins. Once cooled, you can transfer your homemade granola into an airtight container.

You can play with this recipe by adding shredded sweet coconut, other nuts, and fruits that you like. I love this recipe since it does not need the addition of sugar. The tart cranberries and sweet raisins balances the whole outcome, and it’s healthy for you which is always a plus. No more guilty feelings when I eat handfuls of this homemade granola.