Crunchy Granola
What a pleasure, to start your day with a tummy–filling bowl of delicious whole–grain granola! And it’s easy to make your own. Just stir together everything but the dried fruit, and bake till crunchy. Add your favorite fruits once it’s cool.
Read our blog about this granola, with additional photos, at Bakers’ Banter.
7 cups (1 1/2 pounds) rolled oats, uncooked
1 cup (4 ounces) flaked unsweetened coconut (optional, but good)
1 cup (4 ounces) stabilized wheat germ
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sliced almonds
1 cup (4 ounces) diced pecans or walnuts
1 cup sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (11 ounces) pure maple syrup*
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) vanilla extract
5 cups (about 20 ounces) mixed dried fruit** (raisins, cranberries, cherries, diced pineapple, diced apricots, chopped dates, or the mixture of your choice)
*Pure maple syrup (as opposed to maple-flavored cane sugar syrup) makes a MUCH tastier granola. If you use "fake" syrup, be advised you’ll have to use a lot more to get the same degree of sweetness; probably an additional 1/2 cup.
**Our Fruitcake Fruits, 20 ounces of tasty dried apricots, raisins, pineapple, dates, and cranberries, is the perfect size for this recipe.
In a very large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, and seeds. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture in the bowl, stirring and tossing till everything is very well combined; a spoonula or large stirring spoon work well here.
Spread granola on a couple of large lightly greased baking sheets; a half-sheet pan is ideal. Bake in a preheated 250°F oven for about 90 minutes, stirring the mixture with a heatproof spatula, spoonula, or turner every 15 minutes or so. You want to bring the granola at the edge in towards the middle, so it all browns evenly. And reverse the baking sheets in the oven (top to bottom, bottom to top) each time you stir.
When the granola is a light–to–medium golden brown, remove it from the oven and cool completely on the pans. Transfer the granola to a large bowl, and mix in the dried fruit. Store in a tightly closed container at room temperature for several weeks; freeze for extended storage. Or portion into pretty patterned plastic bags for gift-giving.
Yield: about 18 cups, about 4 1/4 pounds granola.
Reviews
01/22/2009
I made this granola for my scrapbook retreat and everyone loved it! They said it was much better than anything from a store. We enjoyed it with yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast. Thanks for another super recipe; I always know I can rely on KAF!!
05/20/2009
This granola recipe is fantastic! My husband and I are always on the lookout for healthy recipes to makeover our favorite snacks. This one is truly a winner! This was my first attempt at homemade granola and it couldn't have been easier. It smelled wonderful as it was baking and tasted even better when it came out of the oven! I made a few adjustments based on our preferences, but this is what I love about KAF recipes! Not only are they user-friendly, but they inspire creativity and encourage freedom in the kitchen! We made ours with coconut, almonds, banana chips and even added a slight hint of cinnamon! Thank you KAF Staff and God bless you! Keep these recipes coming!
06/30/2009
I have been making this granola, I would say three years, and my family just loves it. My married children and grandchildren ask for it for their Christmas gift. It is a healthy hit in my home. Even my friends at a meeting at my house liked it so much, I had to copy it for them before they left the meeting. Thanks for a great recipe!
06/30/2009
I make this every couple of weeks. It's easy to make and bake while I attend to other chores, and it's my favorite breakfast. Low in fat and sugar, too. Tastes great with berries and milk, or mixed into yogurt -- or just by itself.
06/30/2009
It is an extremely high fat and high sugar food. All such foods taste good, but it is hardly a "healthy" snack, unless the comparison food is a glazed donut. Better to cook oatmeal and add raisins and nuts and other fruits and use perhaps an artificial sweetener.
Save the maple syrup for pancakes.
Thanks for sharing your views, we appreciate all customer feedback on our recipes. MJR @ KAF
06/30/2009
I just made this yesterday. My family devours granola so I love the large amount this makes. The maple flavor is great. And I love the consistency of this granola. It's nice and dry. I don't care for oily granola. I have a wheat intolerance, so I leave out the wheat germ. In the summer I also omit the dried fruits and put in my own fresh berries or fruit as I eat it. But I will add the dried fruit in the winter months. I was also in a hurry in making this so I bumped up the temp to 350 and cooked it for about 45 minutes. It came out fine. Really yummy.
06/30/2009
Awesome, HEALTHY SNACK if you know your p's and Q's about healthy fats and natural sugars. This granola is yummy and the best part is, you can modify the fruits and nuts to your family's liking. Walnuts and almonds are high in the good fats and Vitamin E, as is wheat germ. Pure maple syrup was a clever addition to this recipe because my previous granola recipe called for sweetened apple juice concentrate which is not as good. KAF's recipe calls for the pure maple syrup and that is better than artificial sweeteners anyday! Thanks KAF for the clever, healthy granola recipe. We all need to increase our intake of healthy fats and natural sweeteners. Just omit the coconut if you are watching your saturated fat (but it is listed as optional anyway.) Yummy!
07/01/2009
I ran home yesterday after reading this recipe and made some. HOW ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL ! Pure maple syrup is going on the grocery list. I used the fake stuff but added two tsp Maple flavoring. YUM! I haven't stopped eating it!!!!! ahhhhh!!!! The whole family is enjoying this fantastic snack by the handfuls. Thank you so much.
07/03/2009
I've been making this granola for about 3 years now--got the recipe from the KAF whole grains cookbook. My husband takes it with him to work. We also like to take it on short road trips for a healthy, easy breakfast/snack on the road (eating from dixie cups keeps the spillage down :) It freezes quite well, so we can always have fresh (relatively) granola when we want it. I modify the dried fruit depending on what I have on hand and it always turns out great! Yummy mix in with my yogurt too.
07/04/2009
This was a wonderful alternative to the sugary snacks! It was easy to make and everyone in my family loved it! There was only one thing wrong with it...I didn't make enough! With two young men, both athletes and a husband, one recipe wasn't enough for an evening in front of the TV. More nuts and berries and twigs for the grocery list! Thanks King Arthur Flour, you delivered again!
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