I've been searching for just the right granola recipe for years. I used to order granola by the five-pound box through our local co-op, but then the kind that I loved the bestest increased their quantity size. I don't think I could eat, nor afford, twenty-five pounds of Maple Almond Date (MAD). So I've been sampling commercial granolas here and there for the past several years, but, sadly, none could compare to my MAD.A couple of months ago at the homeschool women's luncheon, I was pleased to see that the fare included my favorite breakfast--vanilla yogurt and granola. I sprinkled my yogurt with the chunky concoction, which looked very promising, but I wasn't expecting too much. After all, I'd been on a search for The One for so long, I'd just about given up hope. I just started eating.
And then...
My taste buds sang a symphony! AAAAHHHH! It was the PERFECT granola! Chunky, nutty, sweet--but not too sweet--and generously laced with big flakes of coconut. I asked Beth, the woman who organized the event, where she bought the granola, and she told me that she MADE it! Immediately I insisted that she give me the recipe. Well, she said, she didn't really have a recipe, she said, but I wouldn't accept that. I. Must. Have. The. Recipe. She assured me she'd send it to me via e-mail.
And then, months passed.
I got desperate. I e-mailed Beth and asked for the recipe. No response. Thinking my e-mail may have been lost, I tried again. Nothing. I called and asked her husband to have her call me back with the recipe. Nada. In the meantime, I found another granola that was very yummy, but it was quite expensive. But I was so desperate, I bought it, even at $5.00 for 12 ounces. They do carry it at Sam's Club, if you don't have time to make your own, and they sell it on their website, too.
I started to wonder if I had offended Beth somehow, if she were withholding the recipe from me because I'd done something terribly wrong and not known it. Or, I thought, maybe she didn't really make the granola and just said she did, not realizing it would be so popular, and now was avoiding me and the rest of the homeschooling group, taking off for Nepal so that she wouldn't have to face the angry masses.
But then, last Friday at the homeschooling meeting, I saw her. At the earliest opportunity that didn't seem like complete granola-recipe-stalking, I grabbed a pen and a scrap piece of paper and hunted her down.
She was sorry. She was repentent. She'd been busy. I forgave her. She promised she would send me the recipe via e-mail as soon as possible. I believed her.
And she came through!
I made a batch faster than you can say rolled oats. Still warm from the oven like a big oatmeal cookie, my family, who doesn't have as deep of a love affair with granola as I do, descended upon the pans of sweet, crunchy goodness. Before night's end, an entire pan of granola was gone, gone, gone.
Yesterday I made another batch, which filled two jars. By the end of the evening, one jar was empty. By this afternoon, the second jar had been polished off, too.
I modified the recipe a bit, so I'll present it to you in its original state and with my substitutions/additions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and, Beth, if you ever read this, you are AWESOME!
Beth's Granola
7 cups rolled oats (half old-fashioned and half quick, though it probably doesn't matter much)
2 cups of coconut, large unsweetened flakes
1 1/2 to 2 cups nuts (I used two cups of whole raw almonds and a half-cup of chopped pecans. Beth uses chopped walnuts)
I also added 1/2 cup of ground flax seed and 1 cup of toasted wheat germ.
Mix all of the above in a very large bowl.
Then, in a large microwavable bowl, mix:
1 cup canola oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey (I use the lesser amount. All of it makes it too sweet for me)
1 1/2 cup brown sugar (I used a bit less and added some maple syrup)
1/3 cup evaporated milk (I used regular milk. Again, evaporated made it too sweet, in my opinion)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp maple flavoring (I omitted this)
Heat second mixture in microwave for about 40 seconds and stir. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir with big spoons until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and wet. Bake in 2 9 x 13" pans, ungreased.
Bake for 25 minutes at 325
Switch pan positiions.
Bake another 25 minutes at 225, stir or flip half-way through this time.
Turn off oven and leave granola in for one hour. Take it out, cool, break into desired sized chunks, and store in an airtight container.
Then watch it GO!
