Snow Day Granola

snow granola8

Yesterday we were snowed in.

Schools were closed, even the mall was closed! We received over a foot and a half of beautiful snow. It's pretty, but I am ready for a warm, sunny thaw out vacation just about now.

I was forced to read food blogs all day (poor thing) and catch up on my baking.

One of my faithful readers, Lisa from Delaware, told me she made a big batch of homemade granola to give away to all of her nice neighbors that helped shovel her out (they got 2 feet of snow!).

I thought it was a great idea and I had never made granola before, so why not give it a try. The smell of nuts, oats and cinnamon toasting were a great way to warm up the kitchen on a snowy winter day!

My husband (the head shoveler) loved this sprinkled on his Greek yogurt.



Snow Day Granola:

Feel free to use cranberries, dried blueberries, apricots, dates, and any kind of nut. I only had raisins, so this was pretty plain, but still terrific. Sunflower seeds or flax seed would make this even more of a heart healthy snack.

2 cups of rolled oats
1/4 cup of light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
a little bit more than 1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
1/4 cup of whole hazelnuts
1/4 cup of golden raisins (add after everything has been baked)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Mix the oats with the sugar, salt and cinnamon.
Add your chopped nuts (except for the dried fruit and raisins, otherwise they will burn).

Whisk together the honey, oil and vanilla and pour over the oat & nut mixture.
(I mixed it with my hands, though a bit messy, it seemed to come together better).



Spread out the granola mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Flip over with a large metal spatula (it won't be solid, so don't panic) and bake for another 10 minutes.

Now mix in the raisins and dried fruit with a spatula and bake another 10 minutes or so until crisp. (Total baking time was about 35 minutes).
I kept an eye on it to make sure it wasn't getting too dark. .



Once it cools down, it will harden. Break apart and store in an airtight container for a few days, if it lasts that long!



Comments

The JR said…
That looks fantastic. I'm all in for finding good, healthy recipes I can make at home.

Thanks, hope ya'll are getting some relief from the snow storms
kat said…
That granola looks great & so does that snowy picture though I can't help but snicker at a foot of snow closing everything down...
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Just came in from my second go-round of shoveling. It sure looks beautiful but it's tiring! I love your granola idea and agree on the topping for yogurt. I used to make it all the time when the kids were little, but I should get back to it again.Hope Henry isn't too overworked.
Dana said…
I can't believe the weather you guys are having! It's rainy and balmy here. I think we both deserve some sun and warmth.
Bob said…
Ooo, that sounds good. I love granola.

Heh, we were supposed to get over a foot of snow yesterday. We got maybe an inch. Weak.
The Food Hunter said…
They even closed the malls??? Wow!
Foodiewife said…
I learned how to make homemade granola a few years ago. It's my favorite power snack with yogurt.
So glad you learned that you don't need to buy it anymore. Yours looks terrific.
Tia said…
i made granola too this week! great minds think alike :)
Jen_from_NJ said…
I don't know how many times that I have bookmarked homemade granola recipes but yet have never made it. It looks delicious!
Pam said…
Making granola is the perfect snow day activity and so tasty too.
Cherine said…
That sounds soo good!!
What a snow Stacey. Is that your house? I can't believe the Short Hills mall was closed. I've made homemade musseli, but never granola. Yours is gorgeous.

I'm glad your husband is the head snow shoveler. When we lived in the Pocono Mountains Meakin convinced me that men shouldn't shovel snow because they would get a heart attack. So stupid me, I shoveled a path each night so he could get in the house. There was always lots of snow there and our driveway was long so we had a plow come every morning and do the big work.

Stay warm.
Sam
This with some Greek yogurt, Yumm!
Anonymous said…
From your 'granola friend', Lisa in Delaware. Stacey, thanks for your granola recipe that you posted, inspired by our chat. I like the way yours sets up in big pieces so I'll have to try that method. I was going to make my "This Granola Makes My Butt Look Fat" today to reward my snow-shoveling neighbors again. haha. We know it's not exactly fat-free! We got another 12 in of snow on top of the 26 in last week! I'm ready for Spring! Lisa
Vidya said…
Oh I know what you mean...I was in and around Paris for 6 weeks during December and January, and while the snow was beautiful, it was just way too cold. I was thrilled to get back to my home in Sydney, I prefer warm, sunny, mugginess over freezing, crunchy cold any day.
This looks so good! And, I loved seeing the Melick's honey. We used to live in Basking Ridge and I always had their honey!!