Auntie O's Granola - Caity

When I went to college, it was a huge shock to me to eat three meals a day in a cafeteria. It REALLY made me appreciate a good home cooked meal. Things got better when my friends and I moved into a house our sophomore year and we were able to cook some for ourselves. Nevertheless, I always appreciated a box with snacks from my family or a box of snacks from my roommate's family. 

Kamauri's aunt, Auntie O, made granola once and sent up a gallon sized bag filled with it and it was life changing! I became so obsessed with her granola that Auntie O started sending up two gallon sized bags, one for Kamauri and one for me. I specifically remember one time while studying for a pathophysiology test, eating my way through more than half of the bag and still wanting more! 

She sent me the recipe a long time ago and I can't believe it's taken me this long to make it. But now that I have two big bags of granola, I am feeling very content with life. I made a couple of changes from the original recipe which is from allrecipes.com and is originally titled "Megan's Granola" (but for me this will always be Auntie O's granola). I also am trying to eat less sugar so I reduced the amount of honey and made the brown sugar optional; it is great with it and great without it! Depends on how much of a sweet tooth you have. Enjoy and thank you again to Auntie O for all the gallons (literally) of granola! 

One year ago: Hamachi Shots, Basil Saketini 

Two years ago: Spaghetti Alla Margherita, Salmon Ochazuke, Southeast Asian Turkey Burgers

what you'll need:

8 cups rolled oats (not instant!)

1-1/2 cups wheat germ

1-1/2 cups oat bran

1 cup unseasoned sunflower seeds (shelled)

1 cup finely chopped unseasoned almonds (I bought sliced to save me a step) 

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup coconut oil or canola oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract 

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

2 to 2-1/2 cups dried fruit (I like dried cranberries and apricots) 

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil. 

Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, almonds, pecans and walnuts in a large bowl. 

Over medium-low heat, melt the solidified coconut oil in a saucepan. Or if using canola oil, warm the oil in a saucepan. Stir in the salt, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and brown sugar, if using. Keep stirring until smooth. 

Pour over the dry ingredients and mix evenly. 

Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets. 

Bake until crispy and toasted. My granola was a little thick on the pan so it took about 30 minutes (stirring every 10 min or so) to get to my preferred level of crisp. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Stir in the dried fruit, chopping up any large pieces (like apricots). 

Eat it straight from the bag, over yogurt with fresh fruit or in milk like cereal. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy! 

One year ago: Hamachi Shots, Basil Saketini 
Two years ago: Spaghetti Alla Margherita, Salmon Ochazuke, Southeast Asian Turkey Burgers

Here is a picture of Kamauri and Auntie O during her last trip to Portland!