(Taken from my sister's blog Nifty Thrifty Life )
I have warm and fuzzy memories of helping my mom make this granola as a kid. We ate it constantly and I still do. Although I've made a few changes to the recipe, it isn't too far from the original. My mom adapted the recipe from an old vegetarian cook book and made it so often that everyone referred to it as Bonnie's Granola. It ends up as a chewy sort of granola that has big, delicious chunks of goodness throughout. I'm not sure what the calorie count is on this. But, it is made from whole, healthy ingredients and it has got to be healthier than most store bought granola.
Making granola from scratch will most certainly save you some grocery money. And if you are able to buy your ingredients in bulk it is deliciously thrifty. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have!
Bonnie's Granola
5 Cups Oats (Old fashion, instant, steel cut - they all work)
1 Cup Dry Milk
1 Cup Flax Meal
1 Cup Oat Bran
1 Cup Wheat Germ
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Cinnamon
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (Meg uses slices almonds, Naomi uses shredded coconut)
1 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Honey
1 TBSP Vanilla
1 Cup Dried Fruit (I use dried cranberries)
Preheat oven at 250 degrees F. Mix dry ingredients (except dried fruit) in a large roasting pan. In a medium size bowl, mix oil, honey, and vanilla. Pour liquids over dry ingredients and mix well.
Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. When its done, remove from oven and add dried fruit. Let cool completely. Store in an air tight container.
Note from Naomi: Meg and I like to cover our granola with a tea towel while it cools and usually toss it in a container before it is completely cool. This makes it have lots of the gooey chunks that we love. Mom let's hers cool completely uncovered for a drier, more seperated texture.
