Sweet & Crisp Granola

I've been making quite a bit of granola at my house lately. My brothers go crazy for the stuff. What they don't realize is that I start with whole-grain rolled oats and add in healthy stuff like wheat germ. Suckers. There is sugar involved, but not nearly as much as you would find in candy or baked goods. Except for maybe those tricksy recipes that use black beans.

Anyways. This is my personal version of granola, so I specifically engineered it to fit my tastes. It's heavy with nuts and seeds. I lightened it with a bit of crispy rice cereal (like Rice Krispies). I used slivered almonds instead of whole to achieve a more uniform texture. I left out the dried fruit because I don't enjoy the texture, but feel free to add it yourself. Sometimes I even change it up. I add pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower. I use maple syrup instead of honey. For my brother, occasionally I add cinnamon. Feel free to alter the recipe to fit your own likes and dislikes.

Sweet & Crisp Granola
Recipe by Sara (stuff-by-sara.blogspot.com)

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal (can substitute another cereal or more oats)
1 cup pecans
1 cup slivered almonds (or whole almonds, if you prefer)
1/2 cup hulled sunflower or pumpkin seeds (or some of each)
1/4 cup flax seeds or flax seed meal (I prefer milled flax seeds)
1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp honey, maple syrup, or *gasp* dark corn syrup
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, berries, apricots, dates, bananas, apples, etc. (optional)

In a large bowl, combine oats, crispy rice cereal, pecans, almonds, sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and wheat germ. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, butter, salt, and cinnamon. Turn heat to medium-low. Cook until sugar dissolves and small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off heat, and add vanilla. Stir to combine. Add baking soda. Mix thoroughly. Pour the sugar mixture over the oat mixture. Toss to coat.

Spread mixture onto a lightly greased sheet pan. Bake in a 350º oven for 10-20 minutes (closer to 10 minutes for a lightly chewy granola, 15 to 20 for more crunch). Add dried fruit if using. Stir granola to break up large clumps. Allow to cool.

Yogurt and granola - one of my favorite combinations.