Recipe: Homemade Granola From Scratch!

With a family of six, we go through cereal, FAST. Buying cereal can cost us ridiculous amounts of money considering the fact that a box of cereal is typically gone in a day. I came across a recipe on a blog for homemade granola, and have started making my own, loosely based on that recipe.

 
Here is the basic process and TOTALLY customizable recipe! Pick your favorite nuts and favorite dried fruits (I usually pick a good trail mix and then separate the dried fruits from the nuts)

• 2lbs of Thick cut old fashioned rolled oats (can be bought in 2lb bags or can be purchased from the bulk bins)
• 1cup Coconut Oil (melted in a double boiler setup)
• 2 Cups of dried fruits
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 cups of nuts
• 1 1/2 cups Honey or maple Syrup
• 1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325. Mix the Oats with the  brown sugar, coconut oil and honey/syrup, and put in a roasting pan, put in the oven for 15 minutes and add the nuts. Put back into the oven for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.

Add the dried fruits (and keep in mind, raisins or other fruits like them will swell up as they cook) and put back into the oven for 15 minutes, stir and then bake for 15 more minutes.

Stir in the flaked coconut (if using) and bake for 5 more minutes so the coconut can toast up.

Take out of the oven and let cool (stirring occasionally to help it cool faster) and once it has cooled down, store in an air tight container in a cool cupboard!