Alton’s (Adjusted) Granola

I got the idea for this from my sister (okay, fine, sister-in-law) Beth.  One of her mom’s friends makes roasted almonds every year at Christmas time, and so we each get a container of almonds.  Tasty, but I’m always looking for something else to do with them, because Chris won’t eat them, so they last a long time.  So Beth suggested this recipe.  She made a few alterations to Alton’s original recipe, and I read some of the comments from other Food Network fans, and I took some of their suggestions, as well.

I can’t quite seem to get enough of this granola–and that’s a good thing, because it makes a decent amount!  I love the flavor, and I think the extra bit of spices really helped liven it up.  I’ve had it on yogurt, on ice cream, with milk in  the morning, or just dry as a snack: all tasty.  However, I would make some changes if I made this again.  I might try and add a little grated nutmeg along with the cinnamon.  I added pumpkin seeds this time, but I was ambivalent on them–I would omit them next time.  I would give the nuts a spin or two in the food processor, because they were a little too large when entirely whole.  And, finally, I would use more of the wet ingredients, maybe even double what the recipe calls for.  While the flavor of this is great, and there’s some nice texture, there are no clumps.  I like at least some small clumps of granola, but this is pretty much oats and coconut and raisins and whatever else mixed up–there’s nothing holding them together.  (Another fan post recommended mixing the coconut in with the wet ingredients, then mixing in the oats and nuts; another suggested pressing down the mixture in the pan.  Those might also be worth trying.)  Overall, I’m definitely going to be making this one again!

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds(I used whole–see above note)
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (I used just a dash–I had salted cashews)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup raisins  (I used 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup cranberries)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and coconut.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.