Homemade Granola

If you have never had homemade granola you have missed something special in the world of breakfast cereals!  Fresh granola is something you don't forget and the stuff in boxes in the grocery store just doesn't come close to how good the homemade stufft is.  The basics for this recipe came from a crock pot cook book for vegetarians.  The nice thing about cooking granola in the crock pot rather than the oven is that it doesn't burn and is easier to stir.  The sky is the limit in terms of what you can add to the granola.  The basics are rolled oats, nuts, dried fruit, a little vegetable oil, and maple syrup.  The standard amounts are as follows:

5  to 6 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of chopped or sliced almonds (or walnuts, pecans, etc.)

1 cup dried mixed fruit 

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

2/3 cup of pure maple syrup (grade B)

1 tsp cinnamon

To make the granola in the crock pot, lightly oil the insert of the crock pot (should be a large one 4, 5, or 6 quart).  I use a 6 quart crock pot for my granola.  Add the oats, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon and mix together.  Add the oil and syrup and continue to mix until all ingredients are wet.  Cook on high with the lid off for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes.  After 90 minutes, turn the crock pot to low and continue to cook with the lid off for the next 2 hours or until the mix has dried.  Continue to stir the mixture every 15 minutes or so.  Once the granola is ready, pour it out on a large sided cookie sheet and spread out to let it cool.  Once cool it can be packaged in a canister or for gift giving, cellophane bags are nice.  The granola is best if eaten right away and within 2 weeks after making it.  It usually doesn't last that long!

Things to add to the granola mix include dried cherries, plums, apricots, blueberries, or just plain raisins.  A quarter cup of sesame seed is a good addition and you can also add coconut if you like.  Some recipes call for wheat germ and I haven't tried that yet.  I especially like to add dates in addition to the dried fruit  because I love dates and they give a nice sweetness to the granola.  The maple syrup is the only sweetener I have used although there are recipes that call for honey or date sugar as the major sweetener for the granola.  However, Grade B maple syrup is a very flavorful syrup and I would consider it is the heart of this granola recipes.  I wouldn't substitute andything else for the maple syrup and I would recommend only real maple syrup and the grade B variety as it has a deeper maple flavor.  If you use honey in the recipe the granola is no longer vegan so if you are giving the granola as a gift to a vegan you'd want to stay with the Maple Syrup.