Granola

As the season begins to change and the days grow shorter I find myself spending more time indoors.  I search for excuses to cook things with cinnamon and nutmeg, long for the smell of fresh bread cooking in the oven, or hearing the slight rattle of the crock pot as it slowly cooks my dinner.  FALL! I love this season!  In Oregon, we relish in these last fleeting days of sun, before Halloween!  It never fails that the weather will be crisp and sunny until Halloween night when the rains come!  Trick-or-treating in the rain is never fun!  And who wants to ruin your costume with a jacket!  Defeats the whole purpose of dressing up!  So, with Halloween just a few short weeks away, I'm ready!  My house is decorated, check!  Halloween costumes, check!  Pumpkins, check!  Halloween candy, check!  Well, I bought a bag of Halloween candy, strategically placed it in the freezer (out of sight, out of mind, right?), but somehow 1/2 the bag has gone missing???  I blame it on the candy gremlins - Do you have them at your house too?  they only come out when candy is about, silently sneaking candy, unwrapping it ever so quietly not to draw attention to the children, and secretly eating it in the laundry room...or bathroom...or maybe in the bedroom...leaving the only evidence of their presence by the empty wrappers in the trash!  OK, so the gremlins are me and my husband.  Man I'm a candy whore!  I should buy chocolate covered raisins or some other nasty candy so I won't turn into a gremlin!  Needless to say, I need something healthy or at least a healthier option to appease my sweet tooth and keep the gremlin at bay.  My go to is granola!  I love me some homemade granola!  It's great by itself, with milk, in yogurt, with fruit, on top of applesauce, etc...and it's just sweet enough to pacify my craving and hearty enough to fill me up.  And the great thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile.

Combine brown sugar, maple syrup, vegetable oil, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.  Mix and set aside.

Brown sugar

I use kosher salt, but table salt will due just fine.  

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I love the taste of fresh ground nutmeg, but if you don't have any on hand ground will work as a substitute.  

combine and set aside

In a large bowl combine oats, almonds, and pumpkin seeds.

Make sure you use old fashioned oats and not quick cooking oats.

I love these thinly sliced almonds best in granola.

I love pumpkin seeds in my granola! 

combine

After dry ingredients have been measured and mixed, pour maple syrup mixture on dry and stir until all the oats, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are well coated.

pour wet ingredients over dry and mix well

Pour granola mixture onto a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment.

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Firmly press the granola mixture into a thin layer. I use a spatula

Place in a pre-heated 325° oven for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.  

DONE!

Remove from over and allow to cool on parchment paper.  Once cooled break up granola into desired size and store in a airtight container.  

Enjoy!

Granola

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
✽✽2 cups nut or seeds of choice (I used 1 1/2 cups slivered almonds and 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
✽✽2 cups dried fruit (optional)

✽✽Feel free to mix and match the nuts or seeds to match your taste.  I also love adding cashews, flax seed, and sesame seeds to my granola.  For the dried fruit option, don't feel obligated to stay with the usual suspect - raisins - instead branch out and add dried strawberries, dried cherries, dried mango, or even dried apple.

Pre-heat oven to 325°

In a small bowl combine maple syrup, brown sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine oats and nuts and/or seeds.  Pour maple syrup mixture on oat mixture and stir until oats are well coated.

Pour mixture on a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Using a spatula press down mixture until it is in a nice even layer. Place in pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes or until oats are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on parchment paper.  Once cooled break into desired size and store in an air tight container.

Try this recipe next time you are in need to appease the gremlin inside of you - you will not be disappointed!