Crunchy Granola
September 4, 2011
Margaux says…
My Aunt Judy makes the most simple and amazing granola ever. It’s the same recipe she’s been using since the 70’s, and she always has it on hand at her house. She was my birth doula and came to stay with us for the last few weeks of my pregnancy, and the whole time she was with us (which ended up being about a month) she kept our supply stocked. It was so great to have every morning, with fresh fruit and yogurt! It’s gotten so I can’t even eat store-bought granola anymore, I’ve become such a granola snob. I try to keep it up, and make a batch as often as possible, but especially in the summer when fruit is in season and tastes oh-so-yummy with this salty sweet crunchy goodness.
Crunchy Granola
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ or flax seed meal
1 cup large flake unsweetened coconut
1 cup cashews (or whatever nut you prefer)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried fruit, like cranberries or raisins (optional…I do this in the winter when I eat it with milk instead of fresh fruit and yogurt)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey (or agave syrup)
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp table salt
2 tbsp real maple syrup
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, minus the salt. Mix together honey, water, oil, salt and maple syrup. Pour over cereal and mix well. Bake in large jellyroll pan at 300 F for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in the pan, then pour into an airtight container.
Sweet & Savory Kitchens 
September 4, 2011 at 8:03 pm
:- ) !
September 5, 2011 at 12:08 am
Wow…..my archaic recipe on the internet! 🙂 I do still make this as my everyday granola, sometimes substituting sorghum molasses (easy to find in these NC mountains) for the honey, and instead of the maple syrup I use 2 tsp. maple flavoring which gives a more potent maple taste. However, around the Christmas holiday, I make large batches of what I’ve decided is an even better recipe, albeit more expensive and more caloric. I’ll send that Holiday Granola recipe to you, Margaux, so you can post it, too, if you want. A quart jar with a red bow makes a great gift.