homemade granola

If you think granola from the cereal aisle at the grocery store is good, you should try your hand at making it yourself at home! The recipe Daniel loves for me to make is one my mom created. You simply mix together whatever you feel like, down the line of oats, nuts, coconut, cereal, etc.; cover it with a caramel sauce, and bake it spread thin on a cookie sheet around an hour until it's golden brown and crispy-crunchy! Today, I threw in old-fashioned and regular oats, ground flax seed, wheat germ, coconut, and some Golden Grahams cereal. The maple-y aroma of homemade granola wafting about the kitchen is one of life's simple joys....
I'll post the exact recipe later, if anyone is interested!

Here it is!! :)
Crunchy Granola
recipe created by Marilyn Schneider

Use the following ingredients (or whatever suits your fancy!) to exactly measure 8 cups cereal:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
wheat germ (heavy sprinkle)
1 1/2 cups oat flour (put 1 1/2 cups quick oats in blender and blend until very fine.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup coconut
1 cup Crispix, Quaker Square, or Golden Grahams cereal
quick oatmeal
old-fashioned oatmeal

Caramel Coating
1 cup loose brown sugar
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup real butter
4 tsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. maple flavoring
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking soda

In an 8 cup Pyrex measure, fill with granola ingredients exactly to the 8 cup line. Heat oven to 250. Dived the dry cereal between 2 (15x10 inch) cookie sheets and place in oven while making caramel mixture. For Caramel Coating, cook brown sugar, butter corn syrup, water, and salt just to a boil. Add flavorings and soda. Dump slightly warm cereal mixture into a large bowl and stir until well coated with caramel. Spread evenly on 2 pans and bake at 250 for 50-55 minutes without stirring! Switch pans around halfway through if using one oven. Cool awhile on the pans, then break into clumps. The secret to this ultimate, crunchy, clumpy granola is the oat flour and caramel coating!