Ingredients

4 cups uncooked oats (Quaker regular, not quick cooking)
1-1/2 cups fiber (wheat germ, flax seed meal or oat bran - Bob's Red Mill)
2 cups nuts (chose up to 4: almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds)
1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut (Bob's Red Mill, optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey OR real maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 Tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs vanilla
1 cup fruit (choose from raisins, golden raisins, crasins, apricots, currants, dried cherries, dried blueberries)

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the oats, fiber, nuts and (if using) coconut in a very large bowl. Don't worry about the fiber, you won't taste it!
3. Place the brown sugar, honey or syrup, oil, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. It will not look like a smooth sauce, but rather like several separate ingredients fighting it out - that's OK.
4. Pour the boiling sauce over the ingredients in the bowl and stir until all the dry ingredients are coated.
5. Line a large (1/2 sheet) pan with foil and spread the granola on top. It will be thick - that's OK.
6. Bake 20 minutes, stir, and bake 10 minutes more. If the granola starts to get too brown, remove early. If at the end of 30 minutes the granola is still pale, bake longer in 5 minute increments.
7. Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit.
8. Let cool completely and then store in tightly covered container.

Makes approximately 3 quarts; recipe may be halved (reduce cooking time to 15 minutes and 5 minutes respectively).

Good to know

Homemade granola is great on yogurt with fruit or a bit of jam. It's also a great snack and might I add a delicious ice cream topping!