My sister Gail posted a link on Facebook a couple of days ago that talked about things that you should never buy again because you should be making them at home. Granola was one of them. I’ve been wanting to try to make granola for a while now, but I didn’t get around to trying it until last week when my sister posted the article. Granola is so easy to make, making it is much less expensive than buying it, and you can play with the ingredients to suit your taste. I really enjoyed the recipe that I used below. I modified it slightly from the original.

Here’s a trick for recipes that call for honey. When you need to measure honey and then add it to a recipe, I recommend that you spray your measuring spoon/pan with nonstick spray (like Pam) first. The honey will then slide right off.

One of my sons and I eat a bowl of yogurt in the morning with this granola mixed in. It’s a filling and delicious breakfast.

I found this granola to be on the sweet side – delicious, but sweet. Next time I’ll use a little less brown sugar. I’ll definitely make it again though.

Cinnamon Vanilla Granola
Recipe adapted from CoffeeandTeaWarehouse.com

2 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup (packaged) sliced almonds
scant 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Mix the oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt, whole wheat flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Warm the oil and honey in a small saucepan. Whisk in vanilla. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon, then finish mixing by hand.

Spread granola on a large (12- by 17-inch) jelly-roll pan. Toast the granola 35 to 40 minutes, removing from the oven to stir every 10 minutes. Transfer granola to a rack and cool completely. Store the granola in a well-sealed container.

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

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