Budget Homemade Granola

Granola is kind of a staple food at our house. Sure, it's great in a bowl with milk, eaten as cereal. But you can also sprinkle it on yogurt for a nice snack. We sometimes toss a handful into a bowl of cereal flakes, reducing the need for added sugar and adding some texture to otherwise soggy flakes.

The only problem was the price. My idea of making granola had some vague image of old-fashioned hippies or other nature types drying odd ingredients in the sun. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and inexpensive making our own homemade granola could be.

The following basic recipe is kind of compiled from several I've found from various sources, based on what has worked for our family.

Our Homemade Granola Recipe

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

½ cup wheat germ (optional)

½ cup shredded coconut, sweetened

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup flavored with maple)

¾ cup brown sugar, lightly packed

½ cup raisins

½ cup dried cranberries, sweetened

Cooking oil spray

Toss the first 4 ingredients (3 if you are not using the wheat germ) to mix. Put vegetable oil, maple syrup, and brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave about 3 minutes. Stir to make sure the brown sugar is melted. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Coat a jelly-roll pan with the cooking oil spray and spread the mixture evenly on it. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes (approximately). You don't want the granola to get too brown.

Cool the baked granola in the pan for about an hour, or until it has reached room temperature. Add the raisins and dried cranberries, toss to mix evenly.

You can store the granola mixture for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. Ours has never lasted that long!

Substitutions:

You can omit the wheat germ. My husband is gluten-free, so we don't use it. You can use flax-seed, too, but the taste is slightly bitter.

Instead of maple syrup, try honey. A friend of mine provides us with local, raw honey and it makes a nice change of taste. I found I bake it slightly less as the honey hardens more as it cools than the syrup does.

You can use chopped pecans, almonds, or cashews instead of walnuts.

Try using dried dates instead of raisins, or replacing the dried cranberries with dried cherries or other dried, chopped fruit.

And enjoy! Keep a zip-lock bag of granola in your vehicle for a quick snack. Or try it as an addition to your child's lunch.