Homemade Granola

Here in Vermont you can't round a grocery store corner without another fancy granola option staring you in the face. I finally picked up a bag to check out the ingredients on the back, and quickly realized that making granola IS EASY. There are all types of granola, of course, but the basic premise is pretty simple: Mix oats with your favorite ingredients, add a little syrup or oil, bake the whole thing for a few minutes, and you're done.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
2 cups oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup banana chips (mine were store bought, but you could make your own)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon all spice
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 drizzle olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine oats, chopped almonds, maple syrup, spices, olive oil, and salt. Mix until oats are covered evenly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cover with an even layer of oat mixture. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until oats turn slightly golden. Remove from oven and add raisins and banana chips to mixture.

Now of course you can get creative and add any other ingredients you have a taste for -- honey, walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut, dried cranberries, etc. I'm going to experiment with different spices and maybe try honey instead of maple syrup on the next batch. Granola is also easy to make in large batches and store in a plastic container or Ziplock bag for weeks worth of snacking. Hooray for easy, delicious recipes!