Granola – A Laurie Bakke’s Kitchen Recipe

Here’s another great fall and holiday recipe from my friend Laurie Bakke’s Kitchen. Explore more of Laurie’s great recipes and her cookbook at http://lauriebakkeskitchen.com/

Homemade Granola

Ingredients

4 C. – Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

1/2 C. – Toasted Wheat Germ

2 C. – Unsalted Sliced Almonds

1/2 C. – Unsalted Pumpkins Seeds

1/2 C. – Unsalted Sunflower Seeds

3/4 C. – Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil

1/2 C. – Wildflower Honey (Wildflower, Orange etc.)

1 t.- Vanilla Extract

1 t.- Ground Cinnamon

1/4 t. – Ground Nutmeg

1 t. Kosher Salt

1 C. – Dried Cranberries

1 C. – Dried Cherries or combination with Dried Blueberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the oats, wheat germ, almonds, and seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir until all the oats and nuts are coated.

Pour onto a baking pan or sheet pan.

Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until all the mixture turns a nice and even golden brown – for about 45 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool – stirring occasionally add the dried fruits. Store the granola in an airtight container.

For the holiday’s: when ready to package for a gift, the granola can be put in old-fashioned jars of any size, a craft bag with a window to see through or a clear bag all tied with cute ribbon and a label.

Makes 10 to 12 cups

Chef Tip: If your oven cooks fast, lower the temperature to 300 degrees and stir every 10 minutes. The granola need to be watched very carefully not to get to brown. Otherwise, the recipe is very easy to make. You can substitute your favorite nuts or dried fruits to your own individual preference.