Homemade Granola

I love looking at recipes on a well-organized blog. Nice pictures, good directions, you can hardly wait to stop reading and start cooking.

I also wanted to share my recipe for granola, but every time I make granola the kitchen is usually in various stages of disarray. So this is real life in the Vik household folks, cluttered counters and all. But what else would you expect from a blog titled Messy Cars and Muddy Shoes?

     ( How many things can you spot that shouldn't be here?
     *Apple Butter canned two days before but not put away
     *Canning Equipment
     *Apple Peeler Box
     *Two cupboards left open by careless daughters
     *Step Stool, left out by the cupboard opener
     *Cream Cheese for cheesecake
     *Taco fixings for dinner

So ignore the perpetual clutter and look at the big stockpot, ancient orange Tupperware measuring cup, and beloved More With Less Cookbook. The recipe isn't officially in the cookbook, but I wrote it on the first page since that's my favorite cookbook. I don't like to look through lots of cookbooks to find a recipe.

The recipe is lower in fat than a lot of granola recipes and comes from good friend Carol Moyer whose kitchen is always spotlessly clean. Since she is too clean, organized, and sensible to have a blog, I'll share her recipe for her.

Mix Together:

8 1/2 c. oats (I used old-fashioned)

1 c. coconut

1 c. brown sugar - more if you like it sweeter

Optional: 1/2 c. slivered or sliced almonds ( I usually add 1 c.)

(opt.) 1 c. wheat germ

Cinnamon to taste

Mix:

1 c. water

1/2 oil

1 t. vanilla

optional 2 t. maple flavoring

Add wet ingredients to dry. (True confessions. I don't like to dirty two pans so don't mix the wet ingredients separately. I just dump everything and mix well and it turns out okay. 

Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Here's the tricky part. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it takes less. It needs to be crunchy but it also firms  as it cools.  You know how some people cook by taste, well, I cook this granola by smell. It has a pleasant toasty smell when done. After you've made a few batches you'll get the hang of when it smells right.

 Voila!  

Nutritious, delicious, inexpensive, easy to make, 

and makes a nice gift. 

Do you have any tips on granola making?
What are your favorite things to put in granola? 

Or ways to eat it?