Hippie Runner Granola

Granola.  Gotta love it, right?

But not the store bought kind.  They put stuff in there.  Preservatives and junk, you know?

Blech.

Let me tell you about homemade granola and how easy it is.  My Gramma always made us homemade granola bars.  I like to make homemade loose granola cereal.  I do a cinnamon chocolate pecan almond granola.  That's what I'm about to show you how to make.  BUT, it is really simple to play around with this recipe.  I did- that's how I came up with this variation.  I looked on Pinterest for granola recipes, tried one, and then dinked with it until I created my perfect granola.  (Which is absolutely delicious mixed in with some vanilla yogurt!)

My *very* official recipe  (Vegans can substitute coconut oil for the butter!)

Here's my very secret and official recipe.  Intense, right?  First things first- gather your stuff!!

The line up.

I'm not fancy, as you can see by my containers.  I use local raw honey.  The bag in the middle contains the raw pecans that I picked up at Kroger.  The bag on the right has Trader Joe's Cinnamon Almonds in it.  They are so good.........so I use those instead of raw almonds.  But raw almonds are awesome too!  The bottom right is coconut- it's totally optional.  If you look back up at the post-it, there is nary a shred of coconut listed, but I threw it in to see what would happen.  Not much- the cocoa and cinnamon over-ruled it.  Oh well.

Everyone needs a good heavy-duty spatula!!

You know what you DON'T see?  Raisins!

I love raisins.  My first batch of granola had raisins in it.  But.........put raisins in the oven for 30 minutes and they actually turn into little pieces of gravel and you will end up picking them ALL out of your granola.  Trust me.

Cinnamon Almonds--Chop 'em up!

Now- chop up them nuts!  You don't want big old hunks of nuts in your granola, so chop them up.  They don't have to be chopped into oblivion, just chunked up so they can mix with the oats, etc.

Raw Pecans--Chop some more!

Nuts actually chop up really easily and nicely.  Even the roasted cinnamon almonds.  And if you like walnuts, add those too.  I don't like walnuts and my sister is allergic, so I don't like to run the risk of setting her into anaphylatic shock.  I keep a walnut free house.

Mix the dry.

Once you've mixed all the dry stuff together so that everything is coated and the cinnamon and cocoa smell is making you hungry, add the honey and melted butter!  (Vegan??  Use coconut oil instead!)

Add the honey and mix some more

Really mix the honey in, so that it coats everything!  Add a little extra if you want to.  This isn't an exact science.  Recipes are like the Pirate Code- they're really just guidelines.  You can taste it too.  It's nummy.  You could probably add chocolate chips to this shindig too.  Or maybe cinnamon chips.

Put it on a baking sheet

Now that you have a gooey mass of deliciousness, dump it all on a baking sheet.  Then throw it in the oven at 315 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  Be sure you reach in a stir it around every 8 minutes or so.  It ensures that everything will brown nice and evenly. 

NOM NOM NOM

When it's done, pull it out, and try it.  It should be wonderfully crunchy and tasty.  Once it cools off completely, put it in an airtight canister or container.  I don't know how long it keeps because we never have it around that long.  I've put it in yogurt (sometimes with bananas), mixed it into my oatmeal, had it straight with milk, eaten it dry for a snack, sprinkled it on ice cream.......the possibilities are endless.

If you try it and like it, let me know.  If you try it and add something new, let me know.  If you try it and it comes out wonky, tell me that too.   But don't say I didn't warn you about the raisins!!!