Thursday Recipe - Nutty Granola

My family adores granola but it's so pricey and the store varieties I can afford aren't that exciting. So I made my own granola the other day. It's surprisingly easy and affordable. Plus you can adjust it for whatever ingredients you have on hand. And bonus! this recipe has no wheat in it.

I had nuts in my freezer - a few walnuts and lots of hazelnuts. We have family and neighbors who grow walnuts and we have several hazelnut bushes in our yard so we have plenty of these things around. I added in some sliced almonds from Costco to make a really scrumptious nutty granola.

Be warned; this stuff is very filling.

Nutty Granola

3 1/2 c. rolled oats, either old-fashioned or quick cooking
1/2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. walnuts, smashed into a fine powder
1/2 c. hazelnuts, chopped
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. honey (or use pancake syrup)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. maple flavoring
1/4 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon

Mix oats, coconut, and nuts in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together oil, honey, sugar, vanilla, maple flavoring, salt, and cinnamon. Pour the sludge over the oat mixture. Stir until well coated and liquid is spread evenly through the mixture.

Spread on a large baking sheet. Bake at 300° or 30-40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Granola should be lightly browned.

Let it cool on the baking sheet after the final ten minutes. Break it into crumbles and store in an airtight container. If you like dried fruit in your granola, stir it in after the granola is cooled down.

Now to come up with some variations. White chocolate chips and craisins? Dried pineapple and mango? Cherry and extra vanilla? The possibilities are endless...