GOLDEN GRANOLA

~ Taste of Home Make It! Take It 2022

4 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. canola oil
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. water
1 T. vanilla 
1/2 c. golden raisins or chopped dried apricots

Preheat oven to 275 degrees and grease 9x13-inch baking dish.

Combine first eight ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, cook oil, brown sugar, honey, water, and vanilla, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. 

Transfer mixture to greased baking dish and bake one hour or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely, then stir in raisins or apricots.

Makes about nine cups.

Notes: I've only made this with golden raisins, as that's what I had on hand, but think it would also be great with dried apricots. 

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MAPLE PECAN GRANOLA

~ The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dairy-Free Eating, written by Scott H. Sicherer and Liz Scott

2 1/2 c. rolled oats
3 T. sesame seeds
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. brown sugar
pinch salt
1/2 c. roughly chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, mix oats and sesame seeds.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine oil, syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Stir often for 2-3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Pour over oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden, stirring occasionally.

Remove from oven and stir in pecans. Cool completely.

Notes: Walnuts are less expensive than pecans and I always have them on hand, so that's what I use.

NUTTY GRANOLA

~ All You magazine - 12/17/10

4 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mist a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Mix oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, and oil, bringing to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour hot liquid over oat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread on baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely before serving.

Notes: I sometimes mix and match the seeds and nuts, using whatever's on hand as long as I have a total of two cups.

APPLE & FIG GRANOLA

~ brunch, by Parragon Books

2 3/4 c. rolled oats
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
2/3 c. dried figs, chopped
1/2 c. slivered almonds
2 T. honey
1/4 c. cold water
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1 t. butter, melted for greasing pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl, mix oats, apples, figs, and almonds. Bring honey, water, cinnamon, and vanilla to a boil in a pan, then stir together with oat mixture.

Lightly grease baking sheet with melted butter and spread oat mixture evenly on sheet. Bake 40-45 minutes or until granola is golden brown, stirring occasionally to break up clumps. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Notes: The apples will not dry out completely during the baking process, which means the oats will absorb their moisture if you store the granola for any length of time. You could either skip the fresh apples and just add diced, dried ones to the mixture instead, eat the granola soon after baking it, or reheat the granola for a bit to dry things out if it's softened in storage. We skip the butter and just use non-stick spray.

MAPLE CLUSTER GRANOLA

~ Frugal Living NW

6 c. old fashioned oats
3 c. seeds and coarsely chopped nuts
1 1/2 c. small or coarsely chopped dried fruit
2 T. butter
1 c. maple syrup (or 1/2 c. maple syrup, 1/2 c. brown sugar, and 2 T. water)
2 T. olive or coconut oil
1 t. salt
2 T. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit.

Heat butter, syrup (and brown sugar and water, if using them), oil, and salt in a small pan over medium heat. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour the syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir to mix. Split the granola between two greased, rimmed pans, packing down lightly. Bake for 10-15 minutes, rotate pans, then bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before breaking into clusters.

Makes one gallon.

Notes: I've used flax, sunflower, and pumpkin for seeds; chopped and sliced almonds for nuts; raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dates, and chopped dried apricots for dried fruit. I sometimes do the more frugal option of syrup, brown sugar, and water instead of straight syrup.

I only have one rimmed pan, which is about 11x15-inches, that I use for all granola recipes, so I put the whole mixture in that pan, don't pack it, and cook in two increments of ten minutes, followed by two increments of five minutes, stirring after each increment except the last. I don't end up with any clusters that way, but when I pack it down and let it cook without stirring, the bottom ends up a little chewier than I'd like. 

TOASTED COCONUT & PINEAPPLE GRANOLA

~ can you stay for DINNER?

3 c. rolled oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. sliced almonds
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
1 c. chopped dried pineapple

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine oats, coconut, and almonds in a large bowl; set aside.

Heat oil, syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated through, whisking frequently. Pour oil mixture over the oat mixture, stirring until oats are completely coated in oil mixture.

Spread oat mixture evenly across a large baking sheet.Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the granola is crisp and light golden brown. Remove from oven, then add pineapple and set sheet on a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about six cups.

ALMOND COCONUT GRANOLA

~ Annie Ruth - Sonlight Forums

8 c. quick oats
2 c. coconut
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1 c. oil
1 c. water
1 c. honey
1/2 t. salt
1/2 T. vanilla
1/2 T. almond extract

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Mix oats, coconut, cornmeal, and almonds in large bowl. In separate bowl , mix remaining ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients; stir well. Spread onto two greased baking sheets.

Bake 4-6 hours or until granola is dried and lightly browned, stirring once while baking. If you like it crunchy, go for the longer baking time. Allow granola to cool, and store in an airtight container. Makes 13 cups

Notes: This is a slightly clumpy and very light-textured granola. I've used chopped almonds instead of slivered, regular rolled oats instead of quick ones, and both unsweetened coconut chips and sweetened shredded coconut.

Linked up at: Eat at Home

ALTON BROWN'S GRANOLA

~ 4them - Sonlight Forums

3 c. rolled oats
1 c. slivered almonds
1 c. cashews
3/4 c. shredded sweet coconut
1/4 c. plus 2 T. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. plus 2 T. maple syrup
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 t. salt
1 c. raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.'
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In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
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Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Notes: Really sweet and totally yummy! This can be made in the crockpot, cooked on low for about three hours. Just make sure to leave the lid cracked and stir periodically. Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.

REBECCA'S GRANOLA

~ Rebecca Burns/From the Burns' Kitchen & Sonlight Forums

6 c. oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. shelled sunflower seeds
1 c. pumpkin seeds
2/3 c. canola oil
2/3 c. honey
2/3 c. water
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
cinnamon, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix oats, coconut, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. In a separate bowl, mix oil, honey, water, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Combine wet and dry ingredients and bake 30-90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until dry and browned.

Makes 10 cups.

Notes: Dry ingredients can be adjusted and substitutes made as long as the total amount of dry ingredients remains the same. 

Linked up at: Eat at Home

EASY CRANBERRY GRANOLA

~ allrecipes

4 c. rolled oats
1 1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 c. dried cranberries
1 t. cinnamon
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. honey
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ, walnuts, almonds, dried cranberries, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey, and vanilla. Drizzle over the dry ingredients and stir to coat evenly.

Spread the mixture out in a thin layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes to toast evenly. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Granola will become crunchier as it cools.

Notes: This takes closer to 50 minutes for me, though I'm sure the cooking time could be reduced by using two sheets. I make two granola recipes that all of my kids love and this is one of them.  

NUTTY, FRUITY GRANOLA

~ Mindy Strauss

5 c. rolled oats
1 c. slivered almonds
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. dried cherries
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. flax seeds
1 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Place oats, almonds, and sunflower seeds on sheet and bake for 10 minutes to warm them up. Remove from oven and drizzle honey all over the mixture; stir to coat evenly. Return the pan to oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add the cherries, craisins, raisins, flax seed, & cinnamon. Cool well before storing or it will be soggy, not crunchy. Makes about 8 cups.

Notes: I never use the parchment paper. Mine is always done at 25 minutes, but almost burned at 30, so keep an eye on it toward the end.

Linked up at: Eat at Home

TAM’S GRANOLA

~ Tam/TamInAz – Sonlight Forums

5 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. coconut

Mix all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours with the lid cracked. Stir occasionally.

Makes about six cups.

Notes: I've successfully used canola, olive, and coconut oil.  You can easily make a double batch if your crockpot is big enough.