Day 146 - Homemade Granola

I have been loving granola lately (I even get it as my topping at TCBY these days when we get frozen yogurt), so when I saw a recipe in my April issue of Real Simple Magazine for a simple homemade granola I had to try it!

I got home around 8 tonight and got right to work making my granola.

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened because I already had a bag in my cupboard)
1/4 cup unsalted pepitas (this was another first - I had never used these before, but they were surprisingly easy to find at the grocery store) or shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dried fruit (I used pomegranate)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350° F. On a rimmed baking sheet I added the oats, almonds, coconut, and pepitas & salt

Then I poured the maple syrup and oil over the dry ingredients

Next I tossed the mixture together & baked it for 30 minutes. About 25 minutes into baking I remixed the granola
Once it was crispy & golden I removed the baking sheet from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes before tossing in the dried fruit

Once the fruit was added, I let it cool for a while longer and then added it to an air tight container to store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

The granola is delicious and now that I know this simple recipe it will be easy to add & adjust ingredients to try new varieties in the future

Also, here is another recipe I considered using that I came across on Crunchy Conversation blog.

Enjoy!