Homemade with Love

Granola Making 101

Small group was hosted at my home this week and being me I wanted to make something tasty for people to snack on as they wished. I love making food for people and trying new things but my apartment is the home to three women, we don't always need a whole pan of brownies, cookies, or cake for the three us, actually we perfer that not sitting around tempting us. I'm not around enough half of the time to even eat my own food so what better way to enjoy cooking & baking as well as sharing it with others than to make food that I too get to enjoy but am not left with a ton of it later {hopefully}.  I also desired to make something that was not all sugar & sweets something a bit healthier. As I was talking to small group friend Amanda Sue she suggested make your own parfaits with homemade granola! What a wonderful idea! No wonder she is the culinary queen.

Easy Homemade Granola

from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup whole almonds [Note: I used slivered almonds, and they worked fine.]

1/3 cup whole hazelnuts

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola transfer into an airtight container. Granola will last about 1 week. 

{Yogurt Parfaits}

For the Build Your Own Parfait Station I provided vanilla yogurt, as well as several different flavors of other yogurts in smaller personal sizes. I offered pitted cherries and blueberries as well for fruit in their parfaits. Days later I'm still eating yogurt and homemade granola. But that's ok, it's a much better combination than cookies and other sweets. 

The homemade granola would look so cute in a little decorated bag or small jar with a cute tag and a bit of raffia and given away as a present. Maybe around the holidays or as a housewarming present for a new neighbor.

ps. I omitted the raisins. Raisins only belong in oatmeal raisin cookies and hot oatmeal with brown sugar.