THE Granola Recipe

Day 41

So the granola I made last night was so good, I decided to make this my Day 41 recipe. I apologize that the original recipe I found online had to be SEVERELY adapted due to Chef Emeril's (Dad) participation. By the way, don't tell him, but he's the worst kind of sous chef. He is the assistant that takes boss-like liberties. I kept looking over to find uncalled for ingredients being added without my consent. Fortunately, the thing I quickly learned about making granola is that it only gets better the more ingredients you add. I'll keep the sous one day more, I suppose. We turned the pantry upside down and although I glanced at the recipe here and there, I found myself picking up things off the shelf and thinking, "Hmmm that could be good." Don't think about it, just put it in. For example, don't settle for walnuts when you have cashews, brazil nuts, and macadamia nuts also. On the other hand, don't worry if you are missing a few items from the ingredients list. Use whatever you have. You don't need any sugar or any oil, despite what the original recipe called for. Here's our version, but feel free to make your own:

Recipe

8 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups wheat germ

1 1/2 cups oat bran

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup flax seed

1/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.

2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, coconut, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through.

4. Cool. then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes