Making Homemade Granola

I love fruit & yogurt parfaits.  They are tasty, low fat, and fairly healthy.  They make a pretty good snack or dessert when your sweet tooth is misbehaving and you are trying to watch calories.

Since I like granola on my yogurt parfaits I decided to try making my own at home.

Armed with oats and slivered almonds I contemplated what flavor granola I would make.

I scavenged through the cupboards and pulled out some of my favorite flavors.  Brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and  pure maple syrup. 

The great thing about making your own granola is that you can adapt it to fit your own tastes.  You can add honey, coconut, or a variety of nuts and dried fruits.  Because I wasn’t sure how my first batch would turn out I kept it simple.  I also decided to stay clear from adding any fat (oil) to make my granola.

Recipe:

2 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. slivered almonds

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. brown sugar

3/4 c. pure maple syrup

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.  After everything is thoroughly mixed, pour it out onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 20-30 minutes; stir every 10 minutes. The granola is done baking when it is a light golden brown.  Be careful  not to over bake it.

Allow it to cool on the cookie sheet.  As it cools it will become crunchy.  Once cool; store in zip-lock bag to maintain freshness.

This granola is only slightly sweet.  You can add extra brown sugar if you prefer a sweeter version.  Or be creative and come up with your own custom blend.

 

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