Homemade Granola

This was really fun to make with Abby!

4 cups rolled oats, uncooked
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 - 1 cup nuts, chopped (could include sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, etc.)
1/4 cup honey, warmed to liquid
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup dried fruit, if desired

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.In a glass measure, warm honey until it is no longer viscous. Add oil and butter and stir.

Drizzle the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Evenly spread the mixture on a large baking sheet. Bake until golden and crunchy, 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  (20 minutes works best for me - see notes below!)

Source: Let's Eat!

Note: Use leftover granola for peanut butter energy bites!

Try #1 - March 31, 2010
FAIL!!! I burned the granola! Luckily I halved the recipe this time, so it wasn't as much waste as it could've been... but maybe that's why it burned. 20 minutes was too long... next time maybe 15 minutes would do it. Note: Watch carefully! I was reading a story to Abby and relying on the timer... bad idea. :) Also, I just read on another blog that it might be a good idea to add the nuts a little later, so they toast but don't burn.

The fun part was that Abby was able to help!

Try #2 - April 7, 2010
This time I made the full recipe, and added some craisins we had in the pantry. It still didn't need the full time, however - 15 minutes is about right. (Well, to be fair, I did the first 6 minutes at 375 degrees by mistake, oops...). The granola was a little overdone, but not burned and certainly edible. The craisins were the most overdone - I would probably add them in later the next time. The walnuts seemed fine.

Try #3 - April 21, 2010
Perfection! Halved the recipe and used peanuts and flax seeds. Took just over 10 minutes. No burnt taste whatsoever!

Try #?? - June 10, 2012
I've made this recipe many many times, and yesterday I think it came out the best ever.  I think I finally got the right amount of time for baking it.  I have my new baby to thank, since I had to leave the granola alone to focus on her.  So, magic baking time: 10 minutes, then stir, then 10 more minutes = 20 minutes to perfect granola!

Also, here is a new photo of William, now about the same age (a little bit older) as Abby when I started making granola with her!

Try #?? - May 13, 2015
And here's my "baby" Lucy, making granola for the first time!