Becca's Granola

 

Hope you all had a wonderful Father’s Day!  We had a nice weekend visiting with family, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  Summer in Vermont really is beautiful.  I’m a lucky girl to live here, especially in the town we live in.  It’s just so darn cute!  It’s one of those small towns that you drive through when you are on vacation and you look around and think “Man, it must be nice to live here!”  It’s exactly the kind of town I always wanted to live in.

For some reason it seems Vermonters really know how to make granola.  If you go to a farmer’s market there’s always someone selling it, and it’s always so yummy.  It’s one of those things that I wish I could make well because it is such a fun and healthy snack.  Granola has so many uses – have it for breakfast on yogurt, a small bowl for snack, topping on ice cream, etc.  For me, I tend to make it when I know I’m going to have company staying overnight.  It’s nice to have around for people to pick at. 

I have tried several recipes over the years for granola, and honestly none of them have turned out that great.  This recipe was given to me by a former co-worker of mine.  She gave me a jar of granola with the recipe as part of my Christmas gift one year, and I was thrilled.  She said she and her daughter spent an entire day, or was it an entire weekend, making granola and trying to find the perfect recipe.  Well, let me tell you – they succeeded!  I couldn’t stop eating it.  Nice job Becca!  I will treasure this recipe forever ♥

Becca’s Granola

4 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1 cup raw wheat germ or flax

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ tsp salt

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 cup dried fruit (I used dried cranberries) – this is to be added after 30 minutes of cooking

½ cup maple syrup (Vermont maple syrup is best)

6 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp water

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 275.  Mix the first 7 ingredients together in a bowl.  In a pan, add the maple syrup, oil, water and vanilla and heat until bubbling slightly – no need to let it come to a complete boil.  Stir it into the oat mixture.  Divide mixture equally and spread out onto two cookie sheets.  Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven and add the dried fruit, stirring to combine.  Bake for 15 minutes, and stir again.  Bake another 15 minutes and it’s done!  Cool completely before storing in an air tight container.