Ultimate Granola

I was lucky enough to have a friend bring some homemade granola (and some awesome chili!) over after Levi was born. I don't think I have ever had homemade granola before, or if I had, it was forgettable. That is why I was completely blown away after one handful of my friend's recipe. Crunchy, not too sweet, complex flavors...I ate the whole bag in a few days, opting for yogurt and granola over anything else at meal time.

I asked her for her recipe, which she happily shared.

I have since 3 different batches. I have modified the recipe slightly, I lowered the fat content to make it a little healthier and have experimented with different seeds, nuts and fruits. So far my favorite combo has been pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, apricots, cranberries and raisins. All together. In one happy mix.

Buy the oats in the bulk section to save some money. You can use left overs for oatmeal cookies or oatmeal.

Ultimate Granola
 1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (less if using table salt)
1/2 cup brown sugar OR 1/4 brown sugar and 1/4 cup honey
4 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups of seeds or nuts
1 cup dried fruit
1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat over to 275 degrees
1. In a medium sauce pan combine butter, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and sugars. Heat until sugar is melted.
2. In a large bowl combine oats, nuts and seeds. Pour the melted butter and sugar mix over the top and stir until the oats are covered.

3. Spread oat/nut/seed mix out over a cookie sheet. Bake 1 hour, stirring once during cooking time. 

4. Meanwhile. Pour juice over dried fruit. Let rest about an hour. 

5. After an hour add juice and fruit mix to granola. Return to oven for another 20 minutes. 

This is a great recipe to double, just use two cookie sheets.

PS. Know any Portland kids looking for a fun summer activity? Check out my kids cooking camp. I have a few spots still open.