The Granola Recipes

I always do something special for my section at the end of the symphony season. We always have a good group in the viola section and they make my job as principal easy. The past few years I've made fudge but this year in an effort to be healthier I decided to make granola to give. I still made some fudge (hey, if you were expecting fudge and you didn't get any wouldn't you be disappointed???) but not the five or six kinds I've made in the past. The granola was a huge hit. Everyone has said it is the best granola they have ever eaten. (Thanks, Dad!)


Here's my father's original recipe:

5 C rolled oats

1 C wheat germ

1 C wheat bran

1/2 C Cream of Wheat

1/4 C sesame seeds

1/4 C sunflower seeds

1/2 C chopped nuts

1 t cinnamon



*Mix all ingredients together in a BIG bowl. Then melt together on the stove: 1/3 C honey, 1/3 C molasses, 1/2 C vegetable oil, 1/2 C peanut butter. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Divide the mixture into 2 large greased baking pans. Bake @300 for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. DO NOT LET IT BURN! Allow to cool. Add dried fruit as desired.



Here is my Gluten Free version (and the version I made for my collegues):

6 C GF oats

1 C pumpkin seeds

1 C sunflower seeds

1/2 C sesame seeds

1 C chopped nuts

(I missed the cinnamon. Whoops!)



For wet ingredients I used 1/2 C natural peanut butter, 1/2 C canola oil, 1/3 C honey and some brown sugar because I didn't have any molasses. I just eyeballed the liquid measurements. The rest of the procedure was the same as Dad's original recipe. When I made it for my collegues I doubled the recipe and used almond butter as well as peanut butter. For fruit I used dried pineapple, Turkish apricots, and craisins. Yum!