Homemade Granola

This morning for breakfast I am going to have granola.  Not the expensive store bought kind, but fresh homemade granola.  My daughter gave me the recipe to try, and oh my, I must say that at least for me it is a bit addictive.  I honestly think I could sit down and eat the whole batch if left on my own.

The recipe comes from the April 2012 issue of Cooks Illustrated.  In the article the whole process of making the granola is discussed in great detail as to all of the steps that were gone through to come up with the perfect ingredients.  They recommend not using quick oats, the results will not be very good.  I happened to have some nuts in my freezer that needed using up, so I just used a combination of almonds, pecans, and walnuts.  This mixes up so fast and easily that I'm not sure I will ever buy granola again.

Almond Granola with Dried Fruit

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. salt
½ cup vegetable oil
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups raw almonds, chopped coarse
2 cups raisins or other dried fruit, chopped

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in large bowl.  Whisk in oil.  Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly coated.

Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8 inch thick).  Using stiff metal spatula (I actually used a potato masher), compress oat mixture until very compact.  Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking.  Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour.  Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size.  Stir in dried fruit. 

Granola can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks