Easy Granola

Most homemade granolas call for a large amount of oil. This one, passed on by my baking friend Mitch Krentz of Chicago, has no oil, is very easy and tastes good too. I like knowing what’s in my cereal. I put my mixer bowl on the scale and weigh the ingredients to make it easier.  I have made it with most of the variations; we like them all.  If you don't like coconut, for instance, add another 1/2 cup of nuts and a 1/2 cup of fruit or sunflower seeds.  Just have the right total amount of dry ingredients to match the amount of syrup.  Our favorite syrup is sorghum...it has more flavor than the rest, but any syrup you have on hand will work.
We prepare a batch of this every week; it's good as a cereal or dry snack too.  If desired, add a cupful of grapenuts to the cooled mixture.

Easy Granola
3 Cups Oatmeal -- 10 1/2 ounces (Old fashioned is best)
½ Cup Nuts - Peanuts, pecans, walnuts, or almonds -chopped (2 ounces)
½ Cup shelled Sunflower Seeds -- 2 1/2 ounces
1 Cup Coconut  
1/2 Cup Raisins or Dried Cranberries
½ Cup Sorghum  (honey or maple syrup, molasses, even pancake syrup)
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Measure into large mixer bowl, mix on low until combined. Pour out onto 12 x 18" half sheet  or 2 jelly roll pans and bake. 
2. Bake for 30 minutes, mixing every 10 minutes. Watch carefully the last 10 minutes.  Don't break it up too much. Cool.
3. When cool and dry, store in a covered container; keeps on the shelf a week or two. 

June 2010 cost: $3.22        Yield: "1 1/4 Pounds"  Use 2 ounce (1/2 cup) Servings
Per Serving : 195 Calories; 8g Fat (35.7% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 3mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Granola Fruit Crisp
This is a delicious way to use your granola. Try it with rhubarb (sugared to taste) or sliced pears too. This recipe is from the 1974 Farm Journal Thrifty Cook, but theirs uses their granola recipe, which has too much fat for my taste but does use coconut and peanuts.

4 Cups Peaches -- or apples, sliced
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups Easy Granola
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar -- firmly packed
1/3 Cup Flour, All-purpose
1/3 Cup Butter -- melted
Place fruit in greased 8" square pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Combine granola, brown sugar and flour. Thoroughly mix in butter. Sprinkle mixture over fruit.
Bake in 350° oven 35 minutes.