It really is that good......

Granola is one of those foods that I never really liked until I started making it myself. The store bought stuff is always dry, essentially tasteless, hard as a rock, and loaded with yucky raisins. And let's face it, the stuff's not cheap. I ran across this recipe on the message forum that I mentioned in my last post and according to the poster, it is loosely based on a recipe by my idol, Ina Garten. The first time I made this granola, I decided it was a keeper so now we make it in the catering kitchen to bag and sell in the gourmet market. It's versatile in the sense that you can use whatever dried fruits that you want and the recipe can be halved or doubled, depending on how much you want to make. I revised the cooking time and temp a bit from the original version and made a few notes about the type of fruits and nuts that I used - pineapple, papaya, dried cherries, and dried blueberries (no yucky raisins!) and I picked up a can of Planter's Cashew Lover's mix.


I made this granola at home with the good intention of storing it on my counter in a pretty glass jar and using it to spoon into yogurt (another good intention of trying to eat a little something in the mornings so my blood sugar doesn't do a nose dive before I get around to eating lunch). The stuff was so moist, tasty, and (no raisins) loaded with fruit that once I started nibbling on it, I couldn't stop!! I'm somewhat ashamed to say that the entire jar of granola was gone in only a couple of days.




* Exported from MasterCook *

Granola

Categories : Breakfast

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
2 cups favorite mix of nuts
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
4 1/2 cups favorite dried fruits -- small dice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, and nuts. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, about 15 minutes. Increase oven temp to 350 and continue cooking for 5 more mins, until mixture turns golden brown.

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the dried fruit mixture and mix well. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.

Yield:
"12 cups"
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