Granola
September 13, 2009
This recipe is an adaptation from a post on The Traveler’s Lunchbox. Basically, it’s lifted directly from the site, minus some more expensive ingredients. I tripled the recipe and ended with two overflowing baking sheets of granola, about two overstuffed gallon lunch bags.
Grind a quarter pound of quick and a quarter pound of rolled oats in a blender to a fine powder. Combine this powder with another quarter pound of each (not ground, that is), three cups of nuts (I chose almonds), a teaspoon of cinnamon, a half teaspoon of mace, and a half teaspoon of cardamom.
Meanwhile, heat one cup of brown sugar, a stick of butter, and 1/3 cup of water in a saucepan until the butter has just melted and the mixture begins to bubble. Add a half teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pour the sugary buttery mixture over the oats, mixing with your fingers into clumps and balls. Spread these (thinly) over a baking sheet along with whatever oats remain.
Bake for 20 minutes before removing the pans and shuffling the oats around. Break up the larger clumps at will. Do this every 20-30 minutes until the oats are dry and browned (took me two hours). Add dried fruits when the granola is cooked.
