OMGranola

I love granola, but I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to the crunchy stuff. I'm like Goldilocks (this one, not this one) in that my granola has to be just right, which means not too sweet, not too dry, not to boring. Metropolitian's is the indisputable best, followed by Grocery's. However, paying $8-10/lb for oats and dried fruit is a little tough for me to justify.

I consulted several cookbooks to find a recipe with a combination of oil and sweetener that felt right to me. Some recipes call for butter or oil in varying amounts. Ultimately, I loosely followed the Joy of Cooking recipe, using ingredients from my pantry. Results are amazing. I've been eating it plain, sprinkling it on my morning oatmeal and dreaming about putting it on yogurt. The best thing about the recipe is that you can use what you have, in the quantities that make sense for you. Love dried cherries? Add more! Hate walnuts? Leave them out!

This is definitely a permanent addition to the Bronstein catalogue of tricks. Maybe it will even be this year's holiday gift.

Granola, adapted from Joy of Cooking

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 cups old fashioned oats (not quick cooking - hint, buy from the bulk section of Whole Foods or other store)

1 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup roasted salted almond, roughly chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In a saucepan, heat oil and syrup on low heat, for about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved.

Pour warm liquid mixture into mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Spread evenly on large cookie tray/baking sheet. Use 2 if necessary.

After 20 minutes of baking, check on granola every 5-10 min. You are looking for toasting and browning of all ingredients.

*Note, this recipe will not form a single "granola bar." Do not wait for that to form - if you do, the mixture will burn.

Store granola in air-tight container until you finish it and need to make a new batch, about 5 days.