Homemade Granola

I have never made homemade granola until recently. Mitch and I have always loved it, but have just eaten store bought granola out of laziness. My friend, Joanna, from Indonesia sent me her recipe for granola and it knocked my socks off. Mitch and I ate an entire container of it in less than a week. We've since learned to control ourselves a bit more and I've tweaked it quite a bit but it is DELICIOUS and HEALTHY! Give it a try, its not hard, you buy the ingredients one time and they will last for at least 4 batches of granola. Ahhhh, so good!

Be sure to seal in an air tight container to keep moisture out.

Ingredients:

6 C old fashion oats (not instant)

1/3 C dark brown sugar (packed)

1/2 C wheat germ

1/3 C flax seed

1/2 C almonds (sliced)

1/2 C dried cranberries (optional)

1/2 C coconut flakes (optional)

2/3 C honey

2/3 C canola or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. molasses

2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 325 degrees.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl; mix well.
3. Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl; mix well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl and combine dry & wet ingredients until well Incorporated.
5. Line 2 or 3 large shallow baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Spread granola evenly on cookie sheets, making sure to not pile too high as it needs to "crisp" in the oven.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring at least twice during the baking process.
8. Remove from oven and cool completely, stirring it occasionally so the granola does not clump up.
9. Store in an air tight container. Ours hasn't lasted in the house for more then 2 weeks at a time so not sure how long it can truly last.
10. Enjoy!