Make your own granola

Granola is the perfect healthy and tasty snack for your entire family. Try pairing it with oatmeal, pecans and cranberries for a delicious mix.

Granola can be great tasting hippie food, but buyer beware. On one side, some of the packaged brands cram a lot of unfamiliar flavors in the mix. While these ingredients are often healthy, the flavors can be tough to swallow for kids. On the flip side, the more mainstream granola brands cram a lot sugar and artificial ingredients into their products which put them on par with the nutritional value of a candy bar. Sticking to basic ingredients is the trick. And granola is perfect to pack as a snack in kid’s lunches!

Simple flavors – oatmeal, pecans and cranberries baked with natural goodness. This recipe is so simple, that homemade granola may soon become a staple in your house for breakfasts and snacks! Best Granola Ever is perfect for family members 3-99 years old.

Makes 9-10 servings.

Ingredients:
4 cups of old-fashioned oats
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup cooking oil
¼ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries

Directions: Preheat over to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, salt and cinnamon. In a saucepan warm the oil and honey and stir in the vanilla. Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until the mixture is evenly coated.

Spread the granola onto a large cookie sheet (15X10X1 inch). Bake 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. Stir in dried cranberries.

Storage: Store granola in an air-tight container at room temperature for one week or in the freezer for 3 months.