My Current Take on Granola

I rarely have complaints with Alton Brown recipes.  Usually, they are simple, with readily available ingredients and just plain good.

Alton Brown's Granola is way too sweet and too salty for my taste.

Here's is my current recipe

3 cups regular old fashioned oat meal, not the quick cook type.

1 c. filberts, aka hazel nuts  (A local product) 

I like them coarsely chopped with a knife, rather than putting them in the food processor.  I like the texture of them.

And a 1/2 cup sun flower seeds, raw and unsalted.  This is from Sumner WA

A cup of shredded coconut (Alton's recipe calls for sweetened, the kind in the bag in the baking aisle.  But I've been getting the unsweetened from the bulk aisle.

1/4 c. of canola oil or your preferred kind and another 1/4 c. of maple syrup in the same cup up to raise the level of the cup to 1/2 c. total.  The advantage of the two in one cup is that it comes out easier and cleans up easier.

1/4 c. brown sugar and mix it well.  Add a cap full of vanilla (Vanilla is optional, but I like it in this.)

1/2 t. salt.  This is less that Alton uses.  I rarely cut back salt in recipes.  It's one of my guilty pleasures.  Love salt.  But it doesn't improve this for me and I may use less next time. 

Slowly start pouring the oil / maple syrup mixture into the dry ingredients.

Stopping to mix and break up any clumps. The first batch I made.  Well the first batch I made I burned.  The second batch was too clumpy.  Now I break up the clumps. 

Preheat the oven to 250 (only; no more) degrees.  Turn the granola onto a sheet pan and cook for 1 hr 15 minutes.  Take the time to turn it and stir it several times during baking.  Nice and dry and nutty.  Crunchy in a good way.   I don't like raisins cooked into the granola. 

I've been adding a c. golden raisin after it's finished.  Good with milk in the morning.  Step granddaughter likes it.  Had it this morning stirred into yogurt with blackberry jam.  Just saying.