Power Granola

I was briefly on a kind of granola kick last fall. I tried a few recipes (and still really want to make the cherry almond granola again, since I didn't get much of that for myself), but I'm not convinced that I've got the perfect granola recipe yet.

At some point last week I really just wanted to make granola again. I've been eating a lot of oatmeal for breakfast lately, and I like having something portable around (like granola) in case there's a morning where I don't have much time. I also wanted to run the oven, but didn't want the hassle of making cookies. I almost made the cherry almond granola, but I'd come across the Power Granola recipe earlier in the week and decided I should give it a try.

I happened to have everything around for this recipe, but I figure that not everyone will. I actually made this specifically because I had orange juice in the fridge that I wanted to use. Other ingredients include oats, ground flaxseed, walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, honey, brown sugar, a little bit of oil, vanilla, and cranberries. You could use whatever nuts or fruit you wanted or use maple syrup instead of honey (although I prefer honey). You could also substitute oat or wheat bran or ground nuts for the ground flaxseed. The flaxseed is healthy, but it really just mixes with the liquid and helps make the granola clump together.

You mix together the sugars and heat until the sugar dissolves. You add the oil and vanilla, then pour the liquid over the dry ingredients (minus fruit) and mix well. You bake at 300F for 10 minutes, then stir and bake for another 15 minutes. I honestly found this to be too short. Cool the mixture briefly, then add cranberries.

The granola was tasty, but way too soft for my liking. I took some to work and ate it in yogurt, but then I took the rest back home and toasted it longer (another 20 minutes, actually). I would definitely bake this at least 30-35 minutes total, but you'd have to be sure that the stuff around the edges doesn't burn. You could also bake it at a slightly higher temperature (one review suggested 315F).

The granola was pleasantly clumpy, and tasted good. I liked the cinnamon in it. I also like how this granola is a little healthier since it has such little oil, and you really don't miss it. I toasted it too long the second time, but I'd give it another try to get it right. I think that it'll be a good recipe to experiment with.