My very favorite breakfast cereal is granola, (or muesli as I called it before I moved to the US) and this homemade stuff is SO amazing that you won't just eat it in a bowl of milk for breakfast - you'll snack on it all day long. It is impossible to walk by it and not grab a handful to nibble on. If I pack it away in a container it will last us a couple of weeks, but if I leave it on the table the whole lot is gone in two days flat!
It is also incredibly easy to make - easier than you may think, so if you've never made it thinking it would be too hard, give it a go - you WILL be surprised!
So here we go...
Preheat oven to 325 F
Into a large bowl put the following:
6 Cups whole rolled oats
2 Cups chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, whatever you like)
2 Cups coconut
1/2 Cup brown sugar
(You can add other things here if you like, such as flax seed, bran etc. You could also take out the nuts and/or coconut if you don't like them, but really??? Leave them in if you can!)
Stir it up well and then in a separate bowl mix together:
1 C maple syrup
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Stir wet ingredients well and then just pour over the oat mixture. That's right, you don't even need to precook the wet ingredients. How easy is that?!
Stir very well until the oat mixture is thoroughly covered.
Pour onto two large oven trays and evenly distribute.
Bake in oven for approximately one hour, stirring every 15 minutes so that it gets evenly cooked.
When it is cooked it will be golden in color, but will still feel soft. Don't worry, this is completely normal and it will harden up as it cools.
After you take it from the oven, pour it into a large bowl and this is when you can add any extras you like such as raisins, cranberries, dried apricots, chocolate chips etc. However it is delicious all by itself. You really can't go wrong!
Enjoy and try to make it last longer than two days!
