The Only Granola Recipe You'll Ever Need

I've been using the same granola recipe forever.  The first time I tasted granola, it was this recipe, which I got from Janis.

Granted, I've made minor tweaks over the years but the proportions are consistent. I used more oil and sugar in my first batches; now I substitute apple puree, as David Liebowitz does, and maple syrup. In today's batch, I used ground flax seed, unsweetened coconut chips, and dried cherries. This makes the best yogurt topping.

The Only Granola Recipe You'll Ever Need

Ingredients

Dry Mix

2 - 3 lb. rolled oats/grains (mine: oats & barley)

2 c. wheat germ or flax seed

1 - 1 1/2 c. brown sugar

2 c. whole almonds

1 t. salt

Wet Mix
1/2 c. oil
2/3 c. water
1 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. apple puree or unsweetened applesauce
1 T. vanilla

After baking
1 1/2 c. coconut -- pick your poison: unsweetened flakes or shredded sweetened
2 c. dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots...mangoes, pineapple. you name it)

Directions

1. Combine dry mix.
2. Pour wet mix and stir until dry ingredients are evenly moistened.
3. Spread on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring every ten minutes.
4. Right after you’ve taken the granola out of the oven but while it’s still hot, stir in the dried fruit and coconut.
5. Let this cool completely before packing in glass jars. I refrigerate any that I'm not going to eat in the next couple of days.

Makes the perfect gift.