Jeff has talked about his mom making granola as a special treat for Christmas morning when he was little. They would eat it with milk as a cereal, but this can also be a topping for yogurt. This is one of the two granola recipes from his family recipe book, and this one is credited as coming from Make a Mix Cookery 1978. FYI, wheat germ can be hard to find, but recipe substitution sites say you can use ground flax seed. Also, the recipe says to spread in 9×13 pans and bake for 20-25 minutes, but I spread it on a large cookie sheet, and even with more surface area, it took SO much longer than 20 minutes to get any sort of crispness. Like maybe even 38 minutes.
If you’re making this gluten free, make sure to use flax seed instead of wheat germ, use gluten free oats, and check all your bags to make sure they don’t say “May contain wheat.” I was going to make this gluten free so I could try it, but both the Kroger sunflower seeds and flax seeds said they may contain wheat.
Granola
May take considerably more time to get crisp.
Ingredients
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5 c. Rolled Oats (or gluten free oats)
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3/4 c. Wheat Germ (or ground flax seed)
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1 c. Coconut Flakes
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3/4 c. Raw or Toasted Sunflower Seeds
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1 1/2 c. Chopped Mixed Nuts
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1/2 c. Brown Sugar
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3/4 c. Water
- 3/4 c. Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 c. Honey
- 1/4 c. Molasses
- 3/4 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
- 2 c. Raisins, Chopped Dates, or Other Dried Fruit
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla, stirring until dissolved. Pour over oat mixture and mix well. Spread evenly into ungreased 9×13 baking pans (we used large cookie sheets instead). Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Check for desired crispness–you may need to add a lot more time). Cool completely, then stir in dried fruits. Store in an airtight container.
Mitchell Meals 