Recently, I have been working with kids. I feed them and they eat… some of what I put before them. One of the things they like more often than not is granola. I ran out of the store-bought stuff in the pantry and decided to make some. It is simple and much cheaper.
What you need is in most people’s pantries already. I have used both rolled and instant oats, so it does not matter what you have.
oats, about 3 cups
Seeds like sesame seeds, flax seeds or sunflower seeds, about 1 cup
Cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon, and a dash of any other sweet spices you may have, like ground ginger
Unsalted Butter, sunflower oil, olive oil, even coconut oil in any combination to make about 1 cup, possibly more
honey, 1/4 cup
molasses, 1/4 cup
vanilla or other real extract, 1 teaspoon
salt from a dash up to 1/2 teaspoon
Heat oven to 250(a cool oven). Use a sheet pan with a liner to make it easier to stir and transfer the granola.
Put cereal and spices together. Put oil, honey, molasses, vanilla and salt together in a sauce pan and heat/mix until it is fairly smooth. Coat cereal and spices in liquid. Spread on sheet pan without pressing in.
Cook @250 for 60-75 minutes. Turn and stir once @30min. Let cool in pan. Break into chunks and store in sealed container.
If you notice, I did not put any fruit in it. I find that the fruit, even if it is already dried, will burn, even at a low temperature. You can add fruits, like dates, raisons and apricots, when you are about to serve.