granola1

I love granola.  My mom loves granola.  I always have granola bars on hand,  but since I like to think that I can do anything that anybody else can do…I had to make my own granola.  I decide that I wanted something healthy and all the recipes I found had a lot of sugar and oil.   I try to cook with as little oil possible and cut calories where I can, after all bathing suit season is coming up!  I’m know you ladies out there can relate.  So I rummaged through my pantry and found honey….yum!!  In the fridge I found a bottle of sugar free maple imitation maple syrup and thought this could be my solution.

The first batch I made was burned beyond recognition.  I happen to have a demon possessed oven that does its own thing.  Anyway, I am not easily deterred when I have my mind set on something, so I luckily had enough ingredients to whip up another batch.  I set my toaster oven and baked it in 3 batches.  After 35 mins I had glorious, delicious, healthy, crunchy, fruity, addictive granola.  It was perfectly sweetened…my mom ate about half of the batch and urged me to make more..so I did.  I have it for snack, I sprinkle it over my cereal in the mornings, I take it to the movies…you get the idea..I eat it all day! Homemade granola will change you life!!  Well maybe not, but you will be regular!  I have to explain a bit about the recipe…I purchased a bag of mixed pumpkin seeds, pecans, cashews, almonds, raisins and dried cranberries and thats what I use.  You can you any combination of fruits and nuts  that you prefer that adds up to 1lb.  This recipe makes alot of granola but in my house it disappears pretty quickly.

 

Homemade Granola

2 cups rolled oats, not instant

1 lb mixed fruits and nuts

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp honey

3 tbsp sugar free imitation maple syrup aka..sugar free pancake syrup

Heat the oven to 300 degrees.  Heat oil, vanilla, honey and syrup for 1 minute in the microwave.  Meanwhile mix cinnamon with the oats.  Pour honey mixture over the oats and mix well.  Make sure everything is well coated.  Spread out in a baking pan and bake for 35 minutes.  You can bake it for longer if you prefer a crunchier granola, for me this was just right.  Allow it to cool completely before you start to dig in…my mom couldn’t help herself and got burned from the hot raisins and cranberries, so be ware!