Honey Raisin & Nut Granola

Heart Healthy Oatmeal with Honey Fruit Almonds and Sunflower Seeds

Dec 11, 2007 Donna Diegel

Lower your cholesterol and add fiber to your diet with a bowl of oatmeal each day. This delicious granola makes it easy. It's not just for crunchy-granola types anymore!

Another awesome recipe from the series "Healthy Baking Made Delicious".

Granola ~ not just for breakfast anymore!

Once considered the ultimate staple for campers and hikers, granola has now gone the way of gourmet food products. Families eat it for breakfast. Kids take it to school in their lunch boxes. Executives take it to the office for a mid-afternoon snack. Supermarkets everywhere are carrying "designer label" granola now. In fact, Bear Naked, with their spiffy packaging, is one of the largest producers of granola. Homemade granola is so versatile as well. Sprinkle it on yogurt and ice cream, mix a handful into pancake batter and mix it into cookie dough. You can even make your own granola bars. It has a long shelf life so bake a large batch! This makes it another smart choice for Once-a-Month Cooking. Read all about The Advantages Of Bulk Cooking.

Granola is good for you.

The main ingredient in granola is oatmeal, and oatmeal contains soluble fiber. Television commercials promise viewers that eating one bowl of oatmeal a day could lower your bad LDL cholesterol significantly. Adding fiber-rich ingredients like fruits, nuts and flaxseed could also help keep your pipes clean.

Some peace-loving tidbits.

Back in the '60s, granola left it's mark in history as the peace-loving hippies snack food of choice. The terms "earthy-crunchy" and "crunchy-granola types", stir up images of smoke filled VW buses with hippies sporting dreadlocks and tie-dyed shirts. The 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival put granola on the map by feeding thousands of concert goers. Today, crunchy-granola people are stereotyped as vegetarians, environmentalists, organic gardeners, living naturally and wearing Birkenstock sandals. Strangely enough, they could be the yuppies living right next door.

Neil Diamond also made granola famous in 1972 by writing a song titled, "Crunchy Granola Suite".

Tips and Techniques:

• You must heat the honey, oil and vanilla first, or you'll never get everything coated. This can be done in the microwave or on the stove.
• Toast the coconut and the almonds before adding to the raw mix.
• Use 2-3, 12"x18" baking sheets or any baking dish with a lip on it.
• Turn the granola over every 15 minutes with a metal spatula while baking, or you'll end up with one giant granola bar instead of nice bite size morsels.
• Add the raisins after the granola cools.

The Recipe: Honey Raisin Nut Granola

• 11 cups rolled oats
• 4 cups coconut, unsweetened and toasted
• 2 cups almonds, sliced and toasted
• 2 cups sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup date sugar or Florida Crystals
• 2 cups honey
• 1 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 Tbsp vanilla
• 1 pound raisins

Directions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside.
2. Heat honey, canola oil and vanilla and add to dry ingredients. Mix well until all is moistened.
3. Spread evenly in one layer on greased baking sheets.
4. Bake at 300 degrees for 60 minutes, turning every 15 minutes with spatula.
5. Let dry for 1 hour and add raisins.
6. Store in an airtight container.
7. Makes 6 pounds

• TRAIL MIX! Experiment with your choice of goodies such as: craisins, flax seeds, walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, M&M's, wheat germ, dried apricots or apples and cinnamon.
• Honey Raisin Nut Granola could easily be made vegan if you replace the honey with maple syrup.
• Add Honey Raisin Nut Granola to your Once-A-Month Cooking recipe box.

• Vegan Fruit Muffins
• Vegan Raisin Bran Muffins
• The Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins
• Vegan Nut Breads, Cranberry Nut and Apple Cinnamon Nut
• Vegan Pumpkin Muffins and Banana Muffins
• Kitchen Supplies for Vegan Bakers
• Flaxseed Egg Substitute

The copyright of the article Honey Raisin & Nut Granola in Baking & Desserts is owned by Donna Diegel. Permission to republish Honey Raisin & Nut Granola in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Homemade Granola	GranolaTrail Mix	Trail Mix To Go!
Granola Gift Box For You!	Honey Raisin Nut Trail Mix

Comments

Dec 13, 2007 7:51 AM

Erika Martin :

This recipe looks awesome!

I'm a crunchy-granola type that's always looking for a good tasting granola. Just because it's healthy doesn't mean it has to taste awful! Thanks for the recipe!

Dec 30, 2007 10:23 AM

Donna Diegel :

You're a crunchy granola type too? Glad you liked my recipe. We've been making it for years!

2 Comments