I really like granola. Especially the homemade variety. In the past couple of months, Papa and I have had the opportunity to try a couple of samples. In early March we were at Norskedalen for “Sweet, Sweet Spring” (maple sugaring). A local organic farmer had samples of homemade yogurt, homemade granola and a bit of honey. Yum!
In early April, we had to opportunity to visit Brennan’s in Brookfield, WI … sigh. I miss Brennan’s. There are a couple in Madison that we frequented when we lived there. In addition to filling up on samples of fruit, cheese, and salsa – we also sampled a mixture of yogurt, tart cherries and homemade granola. Yum yum! I almost picked up a bag of the granola until I realized that an 8 oz bag was almost $10! Uff da!. Time to figure out how to make it ourselves…
I have lots of recipes saved on my computer for granola but have never gotten around to trying any of them. Last week we were watching an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on Food Network where someone made granola. She didn’t give amounts, but thanks to the wonderful world of DVRs, we were at least able to rewind enough times to get the entire list of ingredients, and an approximation of the amounts and ratios.
As I went through my first trial run, I forced myself to write down everything I added and the exact measurements. Good thing I did! Although it turned out rather well, I did have a few adjustments to improve on it.
Meanwhile, I have a new name for this … “Snack Crack”. I could NOT stay away from eating this!
Now I just need to make my own yogurt…
Homemade Granola
still a work in progress…
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut, optional
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup All-Bran cereal
3/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 – 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
the original recipe also called for wheat germ
Bake 325°F for 20-25 in, stirring every 10-15 min. Cool before eating.