Delicious granola in 5 easy steps - Property of Jessica Gordon Ryan

Granola is so easy to make you'll wonder why you ever bought the store stuff. The best part about homemade granola is that you have total control of the ingredients. You can add anything to it you want... Anything! We love to eat it on its own, over Greek yogurt or frozen yogurt. It's the perfect afternoon or after-school snack. Below I share the very basic recipe and then I will offer suggestions for add-ins for you to pick and choose. You can also separate the granola into 2 or 3 batches and then vary the add-ins that way, so if each member of your family wants something different, they can have something different!

4 cups of oats
1/2 cup of honey, or 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup of fresh maple syrup
1/2 canola or extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375
Place all your ingredients in a large bowl and mix until the oil and the honey (or maple syrup) are well blended with the oats.
Spread the oat mixture evenly on a baking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
Break into bite sized pieces.

If you want to add some extras into the mix you can add any combination of the below:
(Start in 1/ cup increments - you can always add more)
Chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Slivered almonds
Chopped walnuts
Chopped hazelnuts
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Dried cherries
Dried apricots
Shredded coconut
Wheat germ
Chia seeds
Sesame seeds

Delicious granola in 5 easy steps