Homemade Granola!

Granola is just …good.

Good as a cereal, good as a topping on yogurt, but most of all good just as a snack. So I thought to make some homemade granola and I found a great recipe by Ina Garten in her Barefoot Contessa cookbook (which I love). The main ingredients are oats, almonds, and shredded coconut. You can add pretty much any dried fruit to it afterwards…heres what I mean:

Homemade Granola (By Ina Garten)

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups small diced dried apricots
• 1 cup small diced dried figs (I used dates)
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews (I didn’t use any)

Yield: about 12 cups

Preheat oven to 350°

Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a spoon until everything is well coated. Pour into a 13×18 inch baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown (stirring it every now and then)

Once the granola is done baking take it out to cool. Add the dried fruits to the granola. Store in an airtight container.

My family loved this stuff, it is definitely worth it. Be creative and use your own combination of dried fruits :)