RECIPE’s Finally!

Maple Nut Granola

Most granola at the market tastes like oatmeal cookies! This delicious recipe, without refined fat, will be a real hit if you carefully follow the directions. With experience, it will be oven-ready in 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS & QUANTITY
1	CUP WATER
½	CUP HONEY
1	TABLESPOON MOLASSES, optional
1	TABLESPOON MAPLE FLAVORING
1	TEASPOON SALT
2	CUPS PITTED DATES
1	CUP WALNUTS, BRAZIL NUTS, PEANUTS OR ALMONDS
13	CUPS OLD-FASHINED OATS (42-OUNCE CARTON QUAKER OATS)
1-2	CUPS QUICK OATS, if needed
½	CUP SHREDDEDM UNSWEETENED COCONUT, optional
1-2	CUPS COARSELY CHOPPED WALNUTS, PECANS, ALMONDS, OR PEANUTS

1.     Put water, honey, flavorings, dates, and 1 cup nuts in blender. Blend for about 1   
       minute until smooth.   

      This becomes quite thick, and you may need to help it blend by carefully arriving from the top with a rubber spatula while it blends.

2.     Place oats and remaining ingredients (except quick oats) in a large mixing bowl. Add blended mix to the oats and gently mix together with your hands.

      Keep tossing until all the oats look moist and there are no dry, whitish-colored oat flakes in the mix. Avoid the temptation to squeeze or knead the mix with your hands. You want to retain the shape of the oat flakes without pulverizing them. Plastic food-handling gloves are a great help.

3.     If the mix is too wet, the finished granola will not be tender. If it is sticking to your hands or feels sticky, add the extra quick oats and work them into the mix.   

If you are using gloves, it will be the right consistency when it hardly sticks at all. I almost always needs the extra oatmeal along with the 42-ounce carton of oats, but ingredients can vary, and experience will help you get the right balance of moisture every time. If your finished granola is hard and rough, you get it too wet. It is just right when there are some clumps that break apart easily, but it is not all powdery and dry.

4.     Place mixture in two large cake pans or sheet pans that have sides, taking care not to pack or pat it down tightly. Keep it light and airy.

5.     Place pans in over at 175˚F for about 8 hours – no need to stir if it is baked slowly, if the temperature is too high, it will become dark brown or burned on top and uncooked part dries out, it will be tough and hard. Longer, slower cooking will result in an even, golden-brown product.

       The right temperature is crucial, so err on the low side or check it with an oven thermometer, since ovens vary greatly. A convention oven will usually give a more tender result.  

– MAKES ABOUT 24 CUPS —