Yummy Crunchy Goodness

Once upon a time my mother-in-law gave me a recipe for some sort of apricot dessert bar from Gourmet magazine.  It is heavenly.  I may make it again.  But I have to psych myself up as I am prone to eat the whole pan.  I won't be making it anytime soon.  Anyway, on the same page was a recipe for granola.  I think I made that before I made the apricot dessert.  I didn't find it hard but I found it time consuming.  It was delicious.


Fast forward to a few months ago when my friends and I got together to have a cooking day.  We made soups, tomato sauce and this most gratifying granola.

Yummy Crunchy Goodness
Adapted from Alton Brown


3c large flake rolled oats
3c rice crispies
1c slivered almonds
3/4c sweetened shredded coconut
1/4c plus 2T brown sugar
1/3c maple syrup*
1/4c canola oil
1c raisins - optional

1. Preheat the over to 250F.
2. Mix the rolled oats, rice crispies, almonds, coconut and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Possibly the largest one you own.
3. In a small mixing cup, combine the maple syrup and vegetable oil.  Pour over rolled oat mixture.
4. Mix, mix, mix and then mix some more.  You want to make sure that the soon to be granola goodness is thoroughly covered with the oily maple mixture.
5. When you are convinced that everything is well covered spread it out over one, preferably 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
6. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes until everything is beautiful and brown. If you use 2 baking sheets it will probably take 1hour and 15 min.  With just one you're looking closer to 2 hours.  Regardless of the number of baking sheets, I strongly recommend that you rotate the sheets every time you stir and change rack if using more than one.  My current oven has terrible hot spots and if I don't watch it carefully things overbake easily. 

I make two batches and use 1 large rimmed baking sheet per batch so it takes me a couple of hours BUT we then have enough granola for about a month.

The original recipe calls for real maple syrup.  I always have real maple syrup in my fridge because I'm a bit of a maple syrup snob and I only like the real stuff on my pancakes.  For this granola I use Light Table Syrup because it's a less expensive and little runnier so there's better coverage.  Use whatever floats your boat.  The granola will be delicious regardless.