Sue Ellison of Edgewater, Colorado, writes: "Although I play guitar and piano, and have worked for more than 20 years as an elementary-school music teacher, at this point music is just my job; cooking is my passion. It's an interest I share with my daughter, Hannah. We do a phenomenal amount of cooking together. In fact, I think she learned how to count using chocolate chips, standing on a stool next to me at the kitchen counter while I baked chocolate croissants."
Roasted pine nuts add a southwestern accent to this lightly sweetened granola. Once the granola has cooled, leave it in large chunks for a snack or crumble it into bits for a cereal topping. Either way, it will keep up to one week if stored airtight.
Ingredients
Makes about 5 cups
Step 1
Preheat oven to 300°F. Place oats on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until oats are lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer baked oats to large bowl.
Step 2
Increase oven temperature to 350°F. Spray same rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix shredded coconut, all nuts, and sesame seeds into baked oats. Whisk maple syrup, vegetable oil, dark corn syrup, and light molasses to blend in small bowl. Pour over oat mixture; toss to coat evenly. Spread granola on prepared rimmed baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes. Mix in raisins. Bake until deep golden, about 12 minutes longer. Cool granola on sheet.
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Reviews (13)
Back to TopI've been making this recipe for years. Of all the granolas I've tried, this one's been my favorite. I make it a little bit differently every time (and I usually double it). It calls for 2 cups of nuts, so that winds up being whatever I have in the cabinet... almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia, cashew, brazil, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, etc. They all do the job. I use unsweetened coconut, not sweetened. I skip the corn syrup completely. Sometimes I use the molasses, sometimes I don't, not sure I can taste the difference. I add whatever fruit I want, or skip it entirely. I do often chop candied ginger into little bits and stir it in at the end. The one trick that I found is that when it's baking, don't stir it. Spread it out on parchment lined baking sheets, bake it, and let it cool completely without disturbing it. Once it's cool, break it into large chunks and bag it up. It will crumble a bit in storage, but still hold together decently. It lasts in the pantry for months. If it gets a little damp or is no longer crunchy, pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes, and let it cool completely, it should crisp right back up.
kcristeen
Oakland, CA
8/22/2018
CORN SYRUP????? Isn't making your own granola supposed to be about eating healthier?
Anonymous
Carmel, IN
1/23/2011
Love this recipe and make every holiday season for gifts. Everyone always asks for the recipe. I omit the molasses and use slivered almonds and walnuts sometimes. I usually omit the raisins too as I'm not partial. Bake on parchment paper! Enjoy! You almost can't eat store bought after this.
stephzabar
Westchester, NY
12/22/2008
Definitely need to cook at lower temp than listed. I found it too sticky the first time I made it and the second time I added extra oats to good effect. I'm not a coconut fan so left that out and instead used a mix of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Love this recipe -- it comes as close to a brand that I love from Australia (Carmen's muesli) as any I've found.
Anonymous
sugar land, TX
7/27/2008
I enjoyed making this with my 4 yr, but we weren't too thrilled about the taste.
murasakij
chesapeake, va
9/28/2007
a wonderful recipe! I used lyle's golden syrup instead of molasses and maple syrup, added dried cranberries and chopped dates, and tried sunflower seeds, whole raw almonds and walnuts for the nuts - absolutely wonderful! 250 is defintely the correct temp - took abouit 2 hours for it to dry out, but the wait was worth it.
bethrich
7/18/2007
It's a decent recipe that makes good granola (then again I've never really had a homemade granola that I didn't like). I would advise setting the temperature at 250 to avoid burning. Definitely grease your pan.
glwsnoopy
Boston, MA
2/6/2005
I made this recipe for Christmas gifts this year, and it turned out great!! Very easy to make ~ I added some extra raisins...yummy!!
Anonymous
12/18/2004
I loved all the stuff in this and it was easy to find small amounts at my local Central Market (like Whole Foods). I diligently followed the directions, but burned my first batch using the temp setting they recommended. I turned the oven down for the second batch and had to leave it in much longer (250 degrees). Never got it to dry out quite right. It tasted good, but with the trouble I had with the oven, I would have to have the time to mess with it to try it again.
dhickers
Richardson, TX
11/29/2004
The best homemade granola I've had. It stayed crunchy in milk, but wasn't so crunchy that your jaw hurt eating it. I wasn't sure about the sesame seeds, but I loved the extra texture they added. I also substituted sliced almonds for macadamias, and will probably do so again because of expense.
Philadelphia, PA
7/6/2004
I made this granola as a birthday present for my father and now he expects it on a regular basis. This is the best granola I have ever had and very easy to make.
Anonymous
Montana
6/28/2004
Mmmmmmmmmm. Just finished making this and I have to say it is the best homemade granola I've tasted. Great texture and flavor. I made one substitution - almonds for the macadamia nuts - just because that's what I had on hand. Will definitely make again.
Anonymous
Madison, Wis.
12/13/2003
Seeing as how I normally don't care for granola at all, I'd have to rate this a 4. Since it didn't have cinnamon in it I wasn't sure if I'd like it all (since I always equate granola with cinnamon flavoring), but it was so good I found myself eating it instead of dessert and for a midnight treat. The variety of nuts and the texture really makes this great.
Sue
Seattle
5/26/2003
