Granola

[ButterSticks]

Does anyone here have a good easy to make, granola recipe? I tried making it once with oatmeal, honey, coconut and a few other things, but it never got crispy and hard in the oven, it stayed kinda gooey and then eventually just burned. Maybe the temp. was wrong...any advice?

[Mama Mangia]

Almond Crunch Granola


1/2 cup raisins
1 cup hot water or unsweetened apple juice
3 cups uncooked rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup soy nuts
1/4 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup wheat and oat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped or sliced almonds (or any nuts you like)

Preheat oven to 250ºF. Soak raisins in water or juice overnight. In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Pour water or juice from raisins into a cup. Pour this liquid over the oat mixture and mix to moisten the grains. Spread this mix on two cookie sheets sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. Add raisins, turn off heat, and let mix sit in oven another 15 minutes. Should be dry and crackly; if not, leave in oven a little longer with heat on. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (or refrigerate).



Chunky Granola


8 cups rolled oats
1 cup nuts (more if desired, up to double this amount)
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup whole millet or whole buckwheat groats
3 cups whole wheat flour or part corn meal, rice flour, or other whole-grain flour
1 tsp. salt (or more, as desired)
½ cup honey (or more, up to double this amount)
1 cup hot water, or up to 2 cups hot water
(more water makes the granola chunkier, less makes it crumbly)
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl or pot, combine oats, nuts, seeds, millet, flour, and salt. Mix together honey, water, and vanilla, and stir into dry ingredients. Spread on a lightly oiled baking sheet and squeeze mixture together to form small chunks. Don't crowd--the chunks need to bake clear through. Roast until golden brown, about 10 to 20 minutes. (With the larger amount of water, reduce heat and bake longer.) As it bakes, the granola may need stirring to brown evenly. Cool thoroughly before storing.

Variations: Replace part of the water with the freshly squeezed juice of 2 oranges (and add the grated rinds if the oranges were not sprayed with pesticides), or use 2 teaspoons orange oil.

For "gingerbread" granola, use half molasses (for half honey) and add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger and ¼ teaspoon cloves. For a nice change, substitute maple syrup for honey.


Granola


6 cups rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1-1/2 cups coconut
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla
Raisins to taste


Measure all dry ingredients into large cake pan.

Mix liquid ingredients together. Pour over dry ingredients.

Bake at 350 F for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring once or twice for even browning. Add raisins after baking, if desired.

Store in airtight container. Eat plain, over fruit, with milk or on top of yogurt.


One-Pan Granola Bars


1 1/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. butter
4 c. quick oats
3/4 c. chopped prunes
1/2 c. sliced un-blanched almonds
1/2 c. chopped pecans OR 1 c. of the almonds or pecans
1 T. cinnamon

While heating oven to 350, put sugar and butter into a 9x13" pan and heat in
oven about 5 min., stirring occasionally, until butter melts. Stir to mix
butter and sugar, then add remaining ingredients and stir until well
blended. With fingers, press firmly into an even layer. Bake 30 to 35 min.
until golden brown. Cool on wire rack 15 min., cut into 3x1" bars. Cool
completely before removing from pan. Makes 36.