Homemade granola?  Are you serious? That’s so hard! At least that’s what I used to think. Until now when I made my first batch at home. And you’ll be happy to know that it’s actually very easy.

The back story

I know, I know, what’s so special about granola you ask? You can buy it anywhere, there are so many flavors and variations, and you can get countless recipes online. What’s so special about this granola?  For me, homemade granola will always be synonymous with my friend Rose’s granola.

That’s because until Rose gave me her homemade granola I didn’t even know one could make it at home. I thought it’s something complicated that only factories and gourmet specialty shops could make. I was happily buying granola in the store for years not ever thinking that it could be made in my kitchen.

Rose kept supplying our friends and me with her homemade granola. And that got us all curious, “Isn’t it hard to make?”  We wondered.  Rose said it was not as hard as we thought and shared her recipe.

But I still didn’t believe her because the recipe DID look hard to follow. So she decided to show me one day how to make it. I got all the ingredients ready and Rose came over to do a granola cooking demonstration.

Let me tell you folks, it’s so easy to make homemade granola. The best part is how amazing this granola tastes. You can have it as a snack, or have it with Greek yogurt and some berries for breakfast or even as a dessert. Try making it at least once; it will be hard to go back to store-bought granola.

The cinnamon aroma, the maple syrup flavor, roasted almonds, mild canola oil, and sweet raisins all work harmoniously together to perfection in this granola. It’s just perfect. Here is the recipe.

Rose’s Rockin Granola

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup shelled, raw, unsalted sunflower seeds or pippitas
• 1 1/2 cup slivered or coarsely chopped raw almonds
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A Dark Amber
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup raisins

Directions:

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Place the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and cinnamon in a large bowl and combine.

• Add maple syrup and oil and stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

• Spread the granola on a baking sheet.

• Bake the granola until it begins to brown, first for about 25 minutes. After 25 minutes stir it every 10 minutes with a flat spatula.  Let the granola continue to bake until it is golden brown, dry, and fragrant, about 15 to 20 minutes longer for a total of 45 minutes. Stir the granola at least once more as it bakes and watch it carefully during the final minutes, as it can burn quickly.  The granola should be crunchy and dry at this point.

• Take the baking sheet out of the oven and place on a rack.  Add the raisins, and stir to combine.

• Let the granola cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. It can be stored at room temperature for up to one month and up to six months if frozen. Granola can be served straight from the freezer.

Happy Granola Making!