I dearly love granola. But what I do hate is having lots of different textures in my granola. Like raisins. Or dates. Or cranberries. I'm sure you're getting the idea: crunchy + chewy = bad granola in my opinion. And I also don't like flavors like 'banana nut' when there is no evidence that a banana ever came within 10 feet of the granola.
So I made my own. (Bonus points to whoever can correctly identify the item just barely peeking in the left hand side of the picture. No guesses Cathy because you've probably have opened this cupboard before!)
There aren't any chewy things in this granola. Maybe you don't like chewy things in your granola either? Well here's my recipe:
Crunchy Granola
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1ish cups slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Few grates of fresh nutmeg
Heat oven to 350 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine the oats, almonds, sesame seeds, wheat germ, cinnamon and nutmeg. I don't really like nutmeg all that much but I like to grate it so I add just a few grates. You can add more or none at all if you like. Stir well to evenly distribute the dry ingredients.
In a glass measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the honey and melted butter and stir it until they are well incorporated. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix until everything is evenly coated.
Spread the granola onto the baking sheets and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a golden brown. Carefully stir 2-3 times during baking making sure to keep it in a thin layer to ensure even crisping. Lift parchment sheets onto wire racks to completely cool. Break up into smaller pieces--I like to leave a few larger ones for random snacking--and store in airtight containers.
