Granola Cereal

[Dawn in OH]

Does anyone here make their own granola cereal? Do you have a recipe to share?

 

I just made some from a recipe I found on the internet. All the recipes I found included things my family won't eat, so I swapped them out for things they would eat. But I had other problems too.

 

The granola at the edge of the pan burned before the granola in the middle of the pan got toasted. I spread the oats out as evenly across the cookie sheet as possible.

 

Every recipe I found had a different oven temperature and baking time listed.

 

I am looking for both advice and new recipes.

 

Thanks!

[naturalmom]

Try stirring it every 15 minutes while it's baking - that helps even things out.

[Crafty Mathy Mom]

I make my granola in a crock pot. You stick a wooden spoon or skewer in it to crack the lid. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Stir whenever you smell it.

[WiseOwlKnits]

Here's my recipe. It gets rave reviews every time I make it and people have been known to beg for the recipe. :)

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. brown sugar

½ c. water

2 tbsp. vanilla

8 c. oats

1 c. pecans or walnuts

1 c. almonds

1 c. raisins

dried fruits

 

Heat oven to 275° F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

 

In a microwave-safe cup, combine brown sugar and water. Microwave on high for 5 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from microwave and stir in vanilla.

 

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, and brown sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly. Spread onto cookie sheets and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden brown. Allow granola to cool completely on cookie sheets. Once granola is cool, add raisins and dried fruits if you wish. Store in an airtight container.

 

-------

 

I have added the raisins before putting them in the oven (accidentally) and it came out fine. Also, I've added cranberries and chopped up dried apricots and it's yummy. And I've added cinnamon to it, about 1/2 teaspoon, and it's good with that too.

 

I hope your family loves it as much as ours does!!

[Dawn in OH]

Thanks for the replies. Hill Country, yours sounds perfect for us. I'm going to try that one next.

 

If anyone else has a recipe they love, please keep them coming. I'm done buying cereal. I spent $30 on cereal last month, and really they could have gone through more.

[WiseOwlKnits]

Please let me know what you think after you try it (even if it's, "This stuff tastes awful!!" LOL!). I used to spent tons of money on granola every month till I discovered how amazingly easy it is to make it. And this way I know I can pronounce everything that they're eating. :D

Edited July 1, 2010 by Hill Country Classical Academy
stray apostrophe... :)

[Dawn in OH]

Please let me know what you think after you try it (even if it's, "This stuff tastes awful!!" LOL!). I used to spent tons of money on granola every month till I discovered how amazingly easy it is to make it. And this way I know I can pronounce everything that they're eating. :D

 

I can do that.

 

I feel the same way about the food. I buy few processed foods. I caved in and started buying cereal late in my pregnancy because I didn't have the energy to cook in the morning. The "healthy" cereals are expensive, and still have junk in them.

 

The baby is about 10 weeks old, a good sleeper, and I'm feeling better, so no more junk cereal!

[Laurel]

This is the recipe a good friend uses, and her granola is awesome. She uses pecans instead of almonds, because we get yummy local pecans. I've also had it with dried cranberries added and it was great.

 

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour)

1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

 

mix until well coated. spread on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. bake at

325 degrees F for 20 minutes (or possibly more, depending on your

oven). Stir 2 or 3 times to turn over and bake evenly. allow to cool;

store in sealed container.

[Dawn in OH]

Thanks Laurel! That one sounds good too!

[justamouse]

Alton Brown's on foodtv.com is the recipe we use. LOVE it and make huge batches at all times.

[abbeyej]

You can also make "skillet granola". Just take a large skillet (I've used both cast iron and non-stick) and bring to a medium heat. Sprinkle in your oats (or any other rolled grains) and toast, stirring regularly. You'll want to keep an eye on it -- they should begin to toast a bit, and you should smell a mild toasty smell, but more than that and you're in danger of burning. After the grains begin to toast, you can toss in seeds and nuts. Since ds is allergic to nuts, we use raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) and toast them till they begin to pop in the pan. Then add in a little butter (1-2T for a large pan of granola), then a little salt (assuming you're not using pre-salted nuts or seeds). Once all the butter is melted in and you've given it a chance to brown further, add some honey. Just stir the honey in thoroughly for a minute or two. Once you've added the honey, be even more vigilant about keeping it from burning.

 

My kids love this and especially beg for it on top of plain yogurt and fresh fruit. :) You can vary the ingredients as much as you like.

[jubulibee]

I actually have granola in my oven tonight. I like to bake it overnight in a warm oven (175 degrees), then it is ready in the morning. I make big batches, and actually sell a lot to church members. The bigger the batch the better, IMO. Here's my basic recipe:

 

16 cups of old fashioned oats

1 c raw sunflower seeds

1 c unsweetened coconut (if using sweetened, cut back a little on the sugar)

1 c pecans

 

Mix in a blender:

2 c oil

1 c honey

1 c brown sugar

2 t salt

2 t vanilla

1 c hot water

 

Add to the dry mixture. Mix well. Pour into greased shallow pans, and bake overnight at 175 degrees, or for 3-4 hours at 250 degrees, stirring every 20 minutes.

 

You can vary this by adding different nuts or seeds or dried fruit (after baking).

[Pata]

Here's my recipe for a large batch of granola (you could cut it in half if you wanted)...

 

Dry ingredients

9 cups of oats

1/2 cup seasame seeds

3/4 cup of nuts (any kind you like)

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup flour (can use white or wheat flour)

 

Wet ingredients

3/4 cup oil

1/2 cup water

1 1/4 cup honey

 

Mix the dry ingedients well, then add the wet and mix well again. Bake at 300F for 1 hour stirring every 10-15 minutes. Let cool and store.