Homemade Granola

Last week, my neighbor brought over a little bag of her homemade granola so I could try it.  It was still warm and she had thrown some chocolate chips in it, so I tossed the bag into the freezer and decided to wait until breakfast the next morning to try it.  

It's possible that was the best breakfast I've ever had!  I took the granola out of the freezer, spooned a little of it onto my yogurt, and then ate a few bites before adding about 10 more spoonfuls of granola.  I think the granola outweighed the yogurt by the time I was done.  And all throughout the rest of the day, I kept sneaking back to the freezer to sneak little spoonfuls of the stuff.  Holy cow, was that stuff good!  When I texted my neighbor to tell her how much I loved it, she offered to give me the recipe.  Hallelujah!!  

JEN'S GRANOLA

14 C OATS
1 C WHEAT GERM
14 OZ COCONUT
2 C PECANS
2 C SUNFLOWER SEEDS

MIX ALL IN A VERY LARGE BOWL.

1 C WATER
1 C OIL OR BUTTER
2 C HONEY
2 T VANILLA
2 t  MAPLE FLAVORING

MIX IN A SAUCEPAN OVER LOW HEAT UNTIL DISSOLVED.  POUR OVER OAT MIXTURE AND MIX UNTIL MOISTENED.  BAKE AT 225 FOR 2-3 HOURS, STIRRING EVERY 30 MINUTES.  REMOVE FROM HEAT.  COOL COMPLETELY.  STORE IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER.  (AFTER GRANOLA HAS COOLED, ADD RAISINS, CHOCOLATE CHIPS, OR DRIED FRUIT)

That recipe is delicious just the way it is, but I changed it just a little because of the things I had available.  I only made half the original recipe and it was still a LOT!   I used dry roasted sunflower seeds and they worked just fine.  The salty doesn't overpower the sweet.  I used agave nectar instead of honey.  And instead of canola oil or butter, I used coconut oil.  

This stuff is amazing and healthy and I substitute it in everything I possibly can.  I've even brushed it onto sliced pineapple and thrown it on the grill.  Super YUM!

This is what the mixture looks like after adding the liquid ingredients.  It looked pretty mushy to me, so I didn't let it sit very long before spreading it onto the cookie sheet and getting it into the oven.

This is what it looks like before it goes into the oven. Half of Jen's recipe made two of these cookie sheets of granola.  That's a TON!

Mine turned out less sweet than hers, but still SUPER yummy!  The kids have been snacking on it all day.  And the way this stuff makes the house smell when it's cooking is reason enough to make this on a regular basis.  

This is what it looks like after 2 1/2 hours in the oven.  I was vigilant about stirring both pans and switching the racks they were on every 30 minutes.  After letting it sit and cool on the counter for about 20 minutes, it is perfectly crunchy, sweet and delicious.  It's possible this might not make it into an airtight container.  :)