Bridal Shower Bites - Aunt Linda's Granola

So it's been a while...
 I was so touched when I received this:

And so curious about what recipes people would send! I wanted to find a way to share the experience and thank everyone for their thoughtfulness and generosity, and figured that blogging my way through the recipes sent my way would be a fun way to do that.

Aunt Linda's Homemade Granola

Aunt Linda's recipe for homemade granola seems like the best place to start! I've been wanting to make homemade granola for years, but haven't ever followed through on that for no real reason except that I thought it took a really long time.  Boy, was I wrong!  So anyway, when I saw that Aunt Linda had included a granola recipe (and saw that it could be done in less than an hour) I figured this was the incentive I needed to actually make some! And I'm not sure why it took me this long to do - the granola is super simple to make, and absolutely delicious.

These apple-juice infused cranberries are pretty awesome.

It's super customizable, too, as Aunt Linda notes at the bottom of the recipe. I've never been much of a coconut fan, so I swapped it out for an equal amount of dried cranberries, and added in a teaspoon or so of cinnamon (because why not?).  I think pretty much any fruit, nut, or seed would work in the recipe, and I'm thinking you could swap out the honey for molasses, agave syrup, or maple syrup if the mood struck.

Ready to go in the oven!

The aroma that filled the house while it was baking was amazing. So good, in fact that I could barely wait for it to cool til I started eating it straight off the baking sheet. 

And just out of the oven!

And there it is!  My first attempt at homemade granola, courtesy of Aunt Linda!  I ate it with some yogurt this morning for breakfast, and have to say, it was pretty delicious. 

Breakfast of Champions! Granola in airtight container from Mom.

Aunt Linda's Homemade Granola
4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut (I used cranberries instead)
2 cups sliced almonds
3/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350. Toss oats, coconut, and almonds in large bowl. Whisk together honey and oil.  Pour over oat mixture and stir until coated. Pour onto 13 x 18 baking sheet. Bake until golden, 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Cool.

Optional additions: figs, cranberries, cashews, raisins, apricots