Apron Strings to Diamond Rings: Homemade Granola Mix

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Homemade Granola Mix

Hi all! Months ago I saw Clinton Kelly on The Chew share his favorite Granola Mix. It looked so delicious and easy I had to try it. It was all that he said it would be! Granola can be so very expensive at the store, and if you purchase all your ingredients separately (in bulk-ish) and make it yourself, overall you'll be spending much less. This made about 2-3lbs (filled a little more than 1/2 a gallon ziplock bag) and cost a total of $4.13 (approximately). In a store you'd pay about $4.99 for 1lb, and it wouldn't be filled with all of these healthy goodies, and would probably have much more fat and sugar!

For me, I already had Old Fashion Oats in my pantry (a staple for those wondering), and I recently bought a bag of almonds (which can be expensive, but go a long way) and a bag of dried cranberries for snacking. With honey/agave nectar, dried banana and oil already in my pantry, I was able to quickly whip this recipe up. I do a lot of eye-balling when it comes to this recipe, so feel free to do what feels, looks and tastes right!

3 cups of Old Fashioned Oats (DO NOT USE QUICK OATS!)
1/2 cup almonds, sliced or whole,
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 coconut (I left that out of my recipe)
1/2 cup raisins, golden or regular
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup agave/honey (I used less)
1/2 cup oil, peanut/canola/vegetable (I use less than that and it works fine, about 1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 250˙. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together the oil and honey/agave. Scrape it into the dry ingredients and mix together, either with your hands or a spatula. Spread evenly across a baking pan and bake for about an hour, stirring and re-spreading it twice. This allows the mixture to evenly bake and dry. If you wish to add chocolate, do it at the very end once the granola has cooled completely.

When considering your ingredients, take a look at what you have in your pantry. If you don't have almonds, but you have walnuts, use those. If you don't have cranberries, but have dried pineapple, apricots or apples, add those! Make this granola however you wish. Just remember, don't put anything into the mixture that will melt when it goes into the oven. Store it in a plastic bag, or an airtight container. Put it on a dollop of greek yogurt for a snack, or have it with a 1/2 cup of skim milk for breakfast. However you decide to eat it, share your recipe with me! Happy Baking and Enjoy!

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How I Started Cooking

I am no professional chef, nor have I even taken professional cooking or baking classes. I create my dishes from the heart, reading and researching a combination of recipes, putting that knowledge to use and either developing my own recipe or amending one I have read. My love for working in the kitchen began when I was very little, watching my mom bake and cook. In high school I received the opportunity to take two semesters of cooking classes with a wonderful teacher. She is the woman who taught me how to make chicken broth from scratch, properly measure flour and most importantly, read every recipe at least once through before beginning. This is not to say that my mother didn't have a substantial role in my quest to conquer the kitchen. My mother is the one who let me go wild in the kitchen, throwing random ingredients from the pantry into a bowl just to call it 'peanut butter cookies' because they contained peanut butter. That was when I learned that if it contains flour, it most likely has to be baked. Thanks Mom!