By Golly, That's Good Granola!

How about a recipe today?

This is better than any granola that I have ever had, except for one that I had on a trip to Aspen many moons ago. Found it at a little local grocer, and I am pretty sure it was locally made. It was in a plain brown wrapper, simply labeled “Cashew Granola,” and the thing that did it for me was the chunks of cashew and sesame, held together by something barely sweet. After 12oz of this granola, and 15 years, I STILL dream about it.

But this is some pretty darn good granola, and it is very flexible. You can make it with whatever you like or have on hand, just don't mess with the sugars, they are the key. The original recipe came off the internet, but am sure you have realized by now that a recipe is just a starting place for me. A word to the wise, go long and use the best (do i need to say "Real"?) maple syrup you can find. You won't be sorry.  Here we go.....

GRANOLA

6 c old fashioned or steel cut oats

2 c chopped nuts

2 c dried fruit

1 c coconut shreds

1 c wheat germ

Mix all this together--I use my biggest stock pot so I don't toss it out during the mixing stages. This is the forgiving part. Use your favorite fruits and nuts, but don't leave out the coconut or wheat germ. Our favorite combo is almonds or almonds and pecans with chopped dates and blueberries or cherries. Now for the secret sauce....

½ c vegetable oil

½ c maple syrup

1 ½ c dark brown sugar, packed

Microwave for 3 minutes or until sugar melts and it gets all frothy, then take it out and whisk until it is smooth. Pour this over your granola and toss to coat well. Cover two baking sheets with parchment and place in 350 oven. After 10 minutes, take it out and give it a stir, then switch position of trays (top to bottom and bottom to top) for another 10 minutes. Cool, stirring occasionally. Store in airtight container.

Am sure this has a lovely shelf life, but it never lasts very long around these parts.  Lots of times it never even sees milk. 

OOOooooooo--just had a wicked thought--i gotta figure out how to make cookies with this stuff.