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Granola is one of those foods that was intended to be healthy but wound being manufactured by companies who didn't care that they were pumping a zillion grams of sugar and fat into it.

I recently made a version out of the [i]Cal A Vie[/i] cookbook that was extremely tasty, but didn't "clump" together into clusters. It is a guilt free pleasure when you make it with healthful eating in mind.

Whatever you do, stay away from "granolas" at big box stores like Costco and Sam's. I can't even imagine the calories involved in wolfing that stuff down.

Yes! My homemade maple-pecan granola is one of my favorite foods. It's perfectly crunchy, holds together in big clusters, and smells heavenly while baking. If I could bottle the scent of oven-baked granola, I'd be a billionaire.

um, recipes please! I've been making my own trail mix recently (ok so we eat it on the boat and not on hikes, but whatever), and homemade granloa would be a nice addition to that.

looks awesome. I'm going to make some this afternoon for sure. Nice to have a valid excuse for going to the ridiculously expensive but beautiful and expansive New Frontiers we just got.

I have started making my own granola this year. I love being able to control the ingredients and fat content. Buying the items (wheat germ, bran, pecans, cranberries, raisins, etc) in bins or bulk has really saved in terms of cost.

I asked a few friends for their recipes and adapted all of them to make my own.

Home-made is the best! I did it for years, but have slacked off a bit since the kids got older. Here's my recipe:

GRANOLA

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cups rolled grains
(large flake oats, rye, triticale, etc.)
4 cups seeds & nuts (any type will do)
2 cups shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine oil, honey and cinnamon in a large pot and heat until blended. DO NOT BOIL. Add remaining ingredients except raisins and stir until well blended. Pour into two 9 x 13 baking pans. Bake one pan at a time to reduce the chance of burning. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes, then stir. For the next 15 minutes, occasionally stir with a spatula while baking; this will promote even toasting and will prevent burning. Granola will be soft at this point, and golden brown. Cool completely in the pan without stirring. When completely cooled, break up granola and add raisins. Store in a closed container in the fridge.

OK, so this is kinda weird, but if you know anyone who home-brews(ie, beer), hit them up. when making beer, you use around 10 lbs of various grains and oats, for flavor; these grains and boiled(to cook out flavors and break down sugars), then basically discarded, as the solids are of no real use to brewers. what they ARE good for, however, is granola. when I use left-over grains, generally I toss a pound of the grain mixture in a bowl, combine it with honey, brown sugar, almond flour(this is just my preference; i suppose any flour would do), a bit of butter(peanut butter works too), and one whisked egg(this helps the granola to bind).
spread it thinly(but evenly--this is important) on a non-stick jelly roll pan. bake it at a low temperature until all the moisture is gone, or until it's a texture that you'd want to eat. if it browns too fast, cover it with aluminum foil.

When we moved to Albuquerque we stayed at a nice B&B waiting for our furniture to arrive. Their wonderful breakfast included this homemade granola...I now call it mine, we love it.

2 1/2 c. rolled oats, 1/2 c. powdered milk, 1/2 c. shredded coconut, 1 tbsp. cinnamon, l/2 c. crushed pecans, 1/2 c. crushed cashews (or almonds), 1/2 c. honey, 1/2 c. canola oil, 3/4 c. chopped walnuts.

Preheat oven to 250. In large bowl, place all dry ingredients and stir well. Heat honey and oil just until hot. Stir well. Add honey and oil to dry mixture while stirring constantly.

Spread granola on greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn all granola. Bake 20 more minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

Store in jar or sealed bag. Not inexpensive but delicious!

I third the Orangette recipe! It's SOOO GOOD! The pecans add a delicious buttery flavor, and there's a perfect balance of sweetness, with a nice warmth from the spices (and brown rice syrup). YUM!!!!!!!

My favorite granola was always Quaker's 100% Natural Oats and Honey. I like it plain and simple. Recently, though, it tastes awful -- chemical and artificial. I found this recipe and I really like it:

Down to Earth Granola
from Husband-Tested Recipes blog

4 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups almonds, sliced
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or cherries

Preheat oven to 300
In a bowl mix oats, almonds, brown sugar, salt & cinnamon.
In a sauce pan, warm the oil & honey. Stir in vanilla.
Pour liquid over oat mixture & stir.
Sprread granola in 15 x10 baking pan.
Bake 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Transfer pan to cooling rack. Stir in cranberries.

I sometimes add 1/2-1 cup wheat germ to this.

This is similar and good, too:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32503,00.html

Pam Anderson's granola recipes are good, too:
http://www.usaweekend.com/06_issues/060226/060226cooksmart.html

im not one to bother MAKING my own but rather found that is pretty unique and original. its comes in a red pouch and is from la brea bakery. la brea is more known for breads but this was pretty darn good. off the top of my head i think ti has currants, cranberries, and raisins. my sister eats it like a PIG! harris teeter is where we found it here

I have made it... i started with Nigella's recipe, but of course I made some substitutions... check it out.

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

i start with alton brown's recipe and use his proportions and then whatever grains and fruits and nuts i prefer. i'm partial to sliced almonds and craisins. i also add cinnamon, a must have for me.