Yummy Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola

Granola has always been an all time favorite of mine....especially the kind made by my Mother. This recipe (unfortunately) is not my Mom's but rather was from s adapted from a recipe that I found on Tasty Kitchen the member "mybakingaddiction".

Last night I made this batch of granola to bring to a friend of mine (dear Shannon) down on the Cape. We don't see eachother very often so I always like to bring her a special treat that allows our visit to be remembered and treasured a little bit longer after we leave one another.

Here is the recipe....

*5 cups Old Fashioned Oats

*3/4 c.- 1 c. Shredded Coconut (amount depends on your "coconut preference")

*3/4c. - 1 c. Chopped or Silvered Almonds (again amount depends on your preference)

*3/4 c. Packed Brown Sugar

*3 Tablespoons Canola Oil

*1/2 cup Honey

*3 Tbsp. Pure Maple Syrup (none of that fake stuff here)

*1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

*2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract (again, don't make it fake)

*1 c. Raisins

*1 c. Dried Cranberries

*1 c. Chopped Dried Apricots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a LARGE bowl mix together oats, almonds and coconut - set this aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil and cinnamon - bring this to a nice rolling boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Pour this sauce over the oat mixture and gently combine fully. Spread in a LARGE shallow baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes until it reaches the golden brown that you desire (I like mine darker than most....but NOT burnt!). Once cool add in raisins, dried canberries and apricots. **Store in an airtight container.

**It's always fun to find a special container (like from TJ Maxx) to deliver this special treat in. I got the glass container in a package of 3 for only $12.99 @ TJ's - such a great find!