Best-ever Scratched Granola

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Have you priced granola in the store lately? Yeah, us too. We’re not buying it! It’s way too expensive.

Instead we happen to have a recipe for the best granola we’ve ever tasted. And it is so simple that once you make it, you’ll be making it every week, just like we do. Yep, every week, right after baking bread, we mix up and bake a batch of granola. The oven is hot, we love it for breakfast; it’s a winning combination.

We found this recipe in a great little book, Make the bread, Buy the Butter, by Jennifer Reese, and to be honest, I don’t think we could improve upon it.

Best-ever Scratched Granola

Author: Shawn

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 250°F.
  • In a large (about 4-quart bowl) mix together all the dry ingredients, the oats, wheat germ, salt, brown sugar, nuts, coconut, making sure to distribute the brown sugar evenly.
  • Pour the butter over the top, and mix thoroughly.
  • Pour the maple syrup over the top, and mix thoroughly.
  • Spread onto two baking sheets.
  • Bake for about 75 minutes.
  • Cool to room temperature and store in an air-tight container.

Ingredient discussion:

Maple syrup must be real maple. Don’t bother with Aunt Jemima, she doesn’t know a thing about maple syrup. Make sure the bottle says 100% real maple syrup. Sure, it costs more, but it is so worth it.

Procedure in detail:

dry ingredients in a bowl
Measure out all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 250°F.

dry ingredients mixed
Mix them up, making sure to distribute the brown sugar evenly.

Mix dry ingredients. In a large (about 4-quart bowl) mix together all the dry ingredients, the oats, wheat germ, salt, brown sugar, nuts, coconut, making sure to distribute the brown sugar evenly.

pouring on butter
Pour on the butter while stirring to get everything evenly coated.

Add butter. Pour the butter over the top, and mix thoroughly. This will help the granola crisp up.

pouring maple syrup
Pour on the real maple syrup while stirring to get everything coated.

Add maple syrup. Pour the maple syrup over the top, and mix thoroughly. This helps the granola form little clusters.

granola on baking sheets
Spread on baking sheets, and bake for 75 minutes.

Spread onto two baking sheets. Spread the granola out so you have a layer about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Neatness doesn’t count.

Bake. Pop the sheets in the oven, and bake for about 75 minutes. That’s it. No stirring. No rotating. Just bake.

Loosen. Remove from oven and run a spatula underneath to loosen it from the baking sheets.

putting granola in tins
When cool, transfer the granola to an air-tight container. Eat a cluster or two to help the transfer process.

Cool. Cool to room temperature and store in an air-tight container.

This granola probably keeps well for several weeks. We don’t know since ours is gone in a week or less. It also makes for a great trail mix; just add some M&Ms and some extra nuts and raisins and you are ready to hit the road. Easily five stars. It’s too easy and too good to rate anything less.

Worth the trouble?

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