Trail Recipes: Granola

Original recipe found here, slightly altered below.

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats (aka Old Fashioned Oats)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
7 teaspoons vegetable oil (I use Smart Balance Oil)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole almonds (buy them sliced or diced if you'd like)
1/3 cup whole hazelnuts (buy them sliced or diced if you'd like)
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup coconut shavings (found in the baking aisle)

For the newbie chefs, note that you'll also need: An oven, cookie sheet (or substitute), two large-ish bowls, a measuring cup, and a teaspoon.

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1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

2) As my baking surface, I spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, or you can line any type of baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

3) In one bowl, stir the cinnamon and salt into the oats.

4) In another bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla (Note: Put the oil in first to avoid major stickiness on the bottom of the bowl). Stir until combined.

5) Pour the contents of one bowl into the other. Stir with a spoon to get all the oats coated with the wet mixture. When everything is coated, grab a handful, squeeze it in your hand to make a ball of honey coated oats (this will lend to the granola's clumpiness). Do it 5-6 times with the mixture so that everything is clumpy, not just a bowl of gooey oats :).

6) Pour the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet. Spread it out so it covers the pan, but don't smash the clumps too much. Also, leave some holes for even cooking.

7) Bake for 10 minutes. While it's cooking, chop up the almonds and hazelnuts. They don't have to be chopped perfectly. Also, feel free to use whole almonds and hazelnuts.

8) Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and use a spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola evenly and return the cookie sheet to the oven.

9) Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and flip the granola again. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the granola and put the cookie sheet back in the oven.

10) Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Flip the granola again.

11) Sprinkle the raisins and the coconut over the granola. This part can be tricky, so be careful: Turn your oven to a low broil. Now return the cookie sheet to the oven (preferably on a rack not close to the broiler) and broil for 25-50 SECONDS (check at 25 seconds). Any longer than that, and you will probably burn the raisins and coconut. If done right, this will make everything nice and crispy on top.

12) Pull the cookie sheet out of the oven and let the granola cool.

I usually separate the granola into small tupperware containers and stick them in the refrigerator for breakfasts and snacks. The granola makes GREAT backpacking food, you can put it in a ziploc bag and take it on the trail with you. It travels well, is little to no mess, and is extremely cheap to make (you'll wonder why granola is so expensive at the grocery store). In the frig, I've seen it last for 7-10 days, but if you're taking it out with you, I'd make a fresh batch before you go, and it's probably good for 5 days or so.

Also of note, I double the recipe when I make my own batch. I would suggest sticking to the above recipe the first time, so you can see if you'd like to make adjustments (i use slightly less salt and brown sugar). You can also substitute the almonds and hazelnuts for other nuts you might enjoy, as well as substituting the raisins for other dried fruit.

Enjoy!