Mom's Granola

My mom has been making this granola for as long as I can remember and we love it! The flavor far surpasses any of the store-bought varieties, as it is slightly softer, and mildly sweet - not to mention made with all whole, nutritious foods and can be augmented to include your favorite flavors!


Though this recipe contains unsoaked oats (soaking makes them more digestible), I still make this from time to time and am really loving this for breakfast in the mornings with yogurt (the combination of which does make it a bit more digestible!:) That's the reason why the further back jar isn't full - I was hungry! This recipe makes a full two quarts!)


This can easily be made gluten-free; see note below. Enjoy!

Mom's Granola
makes 2 Quarts

3 Cups oatmeal
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar or muscovado sugar or maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup wheat germ*
1/2 cup wheat bran*
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large walled cookie sheet (ungreased) combine oatmeal, coconut and seeds and then spread into a single layer. Toast for 20 minutes in oven, tossing frequently to ensure that it does not burn (about every five minutes - keep watch on those corners!).

In the meantime, combine butter, sugar and honey over heat until combined. Take off heat and stir in vanilla.

After twenty minutes, remove cookie sheet from oven and add wheat germ, wheat bran and nuts, stirring until well combined. Drizzle with honey mixture and stir until well combined, making sure that there is no dry parts remaining. Spread into a single layer and toast for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a glass measuring cup, measure out your dried fruit (if larger pieces, such as apples, dice into bite sizes) and then add hot water to cover by about 1/2 inch. Allow to soak for the five minutes and plump up while the granola toasts.

After five minutes, drain fruit and sprinkle over granola, stirring to combine well. Spread into a single layer and toast for 5 minutes longer.

Remove from heat and allow to briefly cool (about ten minutes) before removing from pan and placing in storage containers. If allowed to cool completely on the pan, it will stick to the pan and will be hard to remove.

We love this stirred into yogurt, on top of oatmeal or even mixed into a sweet loaf of bread for extra crunch! Our favorite fruit and nut combinations include almonds and dried cranberries, and dried apples and pecans, but use what you love and what you have on hand!

* Both the wheat germ and wheat bran are optional ingredients. They can be omitted completely without adversely affecting the granola (I find I'm always out of wheat bran, so haven't used it in my recipe for years!), or can be replaced with rice bran to make this gluten-free. Enjoy!