Great Granola

Oh granola, my best friend. I make granola about twice a month and um, I live alone. I eat it on yogurt, mixed with other cereals, straight from the bowl, and even on a peanut butter sandwich. MMMM....the perfect blend of salty and sweet.

The best thing about my granola is that it’s sweetened with apple juice and honey. No sugar! In my mind, this makes me believe full heartedly that it’s healthy. Ok, it’s probably not as healthy as I would like it to be, but hey it’s oatmeal, fruit. and nuts. How bad can it be?

The recipe is below, and since I lost my original magazine version in the move, I had to make it up again. It may be even better now.

Great Granola

by: Katie Thamer

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old fashioned oats (Quaker)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup sweetened coconut
• 2 T cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pure apple juice
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup raisins

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a big bowl, mix oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In small liquid measuring cup, mix the honey and apple juice together and pour over the oats mix in big bowl. Mix well until coated.
4. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet and place in oven.
5. The granola will take 25 minutes to bake. Take out after 10 minutes and mix it around on the sheet to help each piece get toasty. Take out a second time after 20 minutes to mix around.
6. After 25 minutes, take out and let cool. I just slide the parchment paper onto the counter.
7. Mix the cooled oats mixture with raisins and cranberries in a big bowl. Feel free to add any other dried fruits like: blueberries, cherries, banana chips, or apricots.
8. Let the snacking begin!