Homemade Granola

Did you know that granola is one of those foods that’s just as easy to make (if not easier) as buying it at the store? The next time you’re craving a healthy snack whip up a batch of this granola that takes less than five minutes to prep. Customize the ingredients to your taste with nuts, dried fruit and even chocolate chips. Serve with fresh fruit and yogurt or throw it in a ziplock bag for a mid-afternoon snack. You really can’t go wrong.

Ingredients:
3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup of vegetable oil
2/3 cup of honey
an assortment of dried fruit (we used apricots, cherries and cranberries)
an assortment of nuts (we used 1 cup of sliced almonds)

Method:
1. Whisk together honey and vegetable oil. Mix together rolled oats, nuts (if desired) and oil/honey mixture with a wooden spatula in a bowl until the oats are coated.

2. Spread oats mixture on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake between 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees. It’s very important to check and mix the oats every 10 minutes to ensure the mixture won’t burn. If your oven runs on the hot side, you may only need to cook the oats for 20-25 minutes.

3. After the mixture turns a nice, golden brown (about 25-30 minutes) remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

4. Chop up the dried fruit and any additional nuts and combine. Store in an airtight container.

Have you tried making granola at home? 

A special thanks to Food Network’s Ina Garten — Red Tricycle’s Managing Editor adapted this recipe and has made this granola multiple times recently. It’s delicious mixed with yogurt and fresh fruit. 

photo: notahipster via flickr