Granola

Wow...two posts in one day. I had last night off, sue me!

Granola is yummy. I tend to eat it sitting at my desk out of a plastic bag with a spoon. Wow. I'm cool.

I really don't enjoy store-bought granola usually because it is loaded with sugar and ingredients I don't care for. My Stepmom has been making her own granola for years and I tweaked the recipe on her website for my enjoyment =)

Her recipe can be found here: http://eatingetc.blogspot.com/2007/11/ive-been-making-my-own-homemade-granola.html

The following is what I did. I also used a 9 by 13 baking dish because I don't have any jellyroll pans. I just ended up stirring it more frequently.

Granola

5 cups rolled whole oats
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced almonds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup whole flax seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (sometimes I will use honey instead of maple syrup)
1/4 cup applesauce
2 Tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup chopped prunes

Combine oats, almonds, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, salt and spices in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup (or honey), apple sauce, warm water and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir. Add all dried fruit and mix well (some prefer to add dried fruit after baking, but I like mine baked).

Spread onto aluminum foil covered jellyroll pans or baking dish. Bake at 250 degrees for 70-90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so.