Homemade Granola

Howdy guys!!!! So, I am a major snacker.....a "not so good for you" snacker. I have been searching lately for a few new recipes because I am on a lifestyle change to eat better and take care of my body. I wanted something that would be more filling and healthy for you as well. A double benefit, right? Well, I was on Facebook one day and I saw that my cousin Beth had posted these wonderful looking pictures of her homemade granola! It looked so delicious that I had to ask her for the recipe. She told me where she found it and I decided to give it a try. It was SOOOOOOOO good that I am going to share this recipe with you. 

This recipe was so good that I decided to make a trip to Sam's. I bought the large bags of rolled oats, walnuts, almonds, and pecans. It was expensive but you will get MANY batches from these sizes. Trust me, it is that good. You can also just buy them individually from your local grocer in a normal size. Also, the jar you see is my homemade maple syrup. The recipe is located in one of my recent posts so use it instead of store bought! Of course, you can use store bought. I will not be upset :)

Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran. almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl.

Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and almond extract in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium heat. 

Pour over the dry ingredients.

Stir to coat. 

Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets. 

Bake in the preheated over until crispy and toasted. This should be about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool. Stir in raisins, cranberries, coconut, chocolate chips, or anything else that makes you happy before storing in as airtight container. 

Ingredients

8 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups wheat germ

1 1/2 cups oat bran

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup honey

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon almond extract

Your happy add in's 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) 

2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil 

3. If using foil spay with baking spray to help with sticking

4. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, almonds, pecans, and walnuts into a large bowl 

    (I did not have a large enough bowl so I used my stock pot) 

5. Stir together salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and almond extract in a 

    sauce pan .

6. Bring to a boil over medium heat

7. Remove from heat, pour over dry ingredients, and stir to coat

8. Spread out mixture evenly over the baking sheets

9. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes

10. Stir once halfway through

11. Remove from heat and either cool before adding in your "happies" (like chocolate chips) 

      or stir in "happies", stir, and press down to make stiff, let cool

*This makes a LOOSE granola that will be great with milk, on yogurt, or cottage cheese. Even by itself