Homemade Granola

This summer, I stopped buying cereal and many other processed foods and encouraged the family to eat more fruits, veggies, and proteins. To add a little something to their yogurt, I made homemade granola for them to sprinkle on top. I tried a few different recipes with Alton Brown's granola recipe being our favorite.

I made a few changes to come up with my own version. I use sliced almonds instead of slivered. I don't put in cashews. I use half maple syrup and half agave nectar. The main reason for doing this is that real maple syrup is expensive! I just paid nearly $8 for a 12 oz jar of store brand maple syrup!The first time I used both was because I ran out of real maple syrup and didn't want to ruin things by using regular syrup.   I use a mix of dried berries (cranberries, cherries, and blueberries) instead of raisins. And I add flax seeds.

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried berries
1 tablespoon flax seeds


Combine oats, almonds, coconut, flax seeds, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine syrup, nectar, oil and salt.
Combine both mixtures.

Spread out onto 2 jelly roll pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

 

 Remove from oven and pour into an air tight container. Add dried berries and mix.Using dark brown sugar makes the granola a nice, golden color.

I usually double or triple the recipe. The kids love to eat it straight out of the container!