I've told the story before about my friend Katie and the brunch she threw one Saturday morning at her house in Brooklyn. Everyone had brought their favorite breakfast foods, and the table was filled with streudels and donuts and all kinds of deliciousness. But I kept going back for the granola! Katie shared her recipe with me and I've been making it ever since. It makes a perfect breakfast with a scoop of greek yogurt, some milk, and whatever fruit or berries you have on hand.
Katie's Amazing Granola
This granola makes a TON, two full sheet pans to be exact. I don't have a bowl big enough to fit everything at once, so I make mine in two big bowls and divide all the ingredients in half.
In a large bowl (or two!) mix the following ingredients:
10 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (buy from the bin at your local health food store..)
2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 cups of wheat germ (store in your fridge between batches)
2 cups of shredded coconut
2 cups chopped pecans and/or almonds
1 tablespoon salt
In a separate bowl, mix the following:
4 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup of oil (I use Canola)
2 cups honey (if you use the same cup you used for the oil, the honey should slide right out)
Divide the wet mixture between your two bowls of granola and mix well.
Spread your granola in two large, shallow pans. Bake at 250 until deep golden and almost dry, about 2 hours. Every 30 minutes rotate your pans and stir and crumble the granola with a big wooden spoon (the outside edges will brown first, so you want to mix everything around so it all cooks evenly).
When it's all nice and golden and you've broken up most of your big chunks, remove from the oven and let cool (I leave mine on the counter overnight). Store tightly covered or in the refrigerator if you have room.
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up and I guest posted over at Skip to My Lou about giving granola as a gift. I like to fill old mason jars with granola and tie a ribbon around the lid. Use this printable PDF to make a label you can personalize with your teacher’s name (it also includes some of the ingredients in case there are any allergies). I print mine on full page Avery shipping labels, cutting around each circle with scissors. A thoughtful way to let your teachers know you appreciate all they do. I've been known to give jars of this away to friends on their birthdays as well.