granola cereal

Perfect boost for breakfast or on ice cream!


½ c canola oil
1/3 cup honey
¼ tsp salt
1-3 tsps of spices like cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg (I don’t measure, just add what smells and seems good)
1/3 cup skim milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
5 cups rolled oats (Quick oats do not work well for this recipe)
Ground flax seed, Wheat germ, sunflower seeds, nuts or anything that would add a good healthy boost (I like this toasted (thanks for noticing this bec) so add to the wet mix so it can toast with the granola while baking)
½ cup or as much as you want of: raisins, craisins, dried fruit, coconut, etc (Add fruits or anything that shouldn't toast AFTER it has cooled)

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix the first SIX ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and everything is blended. Remove from heat. Add oats and coat well. (If making bulk, put oats into LARGE bowl & add wet ingredients to the bowl) You can add more oats as you see fit, but make sure they are coated well so that they will toast better and be more crunchy. Pour mixture into a jelly roll pan. (It should not be necessary to spray the pan, since you already have enough oil in the mixture.)

Bake at 375 stirring every 15 minutes until it becomes golden brown. It will become more and more brown, but still feel ‘soft’ right after you take it out of the oven. As it cools, that is when it becomes more crunchy, so do not use that as your judge for when it is done. I usually bake it for about 45-50 minutes. (But--that is MY oven and I always double it--so there is probably  more on my pan than if you are singling the recipe. SO--make sure that if it looks a ince light to dark brown, it is probably done.) As it cools, you'll be able to tell if it's done by its becoming crunchy quickly. If it is too dark, it is over-cooked. (some people might like it that way)

Let granola cool completely before adding dried fruits etc. You can then store in airtight containers in the pantry for 4-6 weeks. (If it has not run out by then…yumm! I make 30 cups at a time and it never lasts the 4-6 weeks. My family loves it!)

*** WANT CRUNCHIER GRANOLA?? You can spread the oats on a cookie sheet at toast them PRIOR to covering with the wet ingredients. This gives it an extra yummy toasted taste and texture. I DON’T generally do this because I usually 6x the recipe at a time and I don’t want the added step of doing this. But, if you are only 1x’ the recipe, go for it! YUM!

*** TOO SWEET?? Try lessening the sugar or honey to your preference. When you add the dried fruits, it gives it a more sweet taste. You can also try lessening the amount of oil and put apple sauce in with the wet ingredients.

***BULK RECIPE? Here is the recipe 6x’d.
3 cups canola oil
2 cups honey
1 ½ tsp salt
3ish TBS of spices like cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg (I don’t measure, just add what smells and seems good)
2 cups skim milk
2 cups brown sugar
30 cups rolled oats (Quick oats do not work well for this recipe)

Also makes a great ICE CREAM TOPPING!