Crunchy Granola, SL 1984

Since The Mister has been on travel, we have been trying to eat healthy when he returns home. Yogurt, fruit, and granola have become our "go to" breakfast since it is easy to put together on a hectic morning. I make the granola during the weekend when we have more time and store it in an airtight container. This is a great lightly sweetened (see my notes below) granola. It makes me feel as if we are eating healthier by adding the wheat germ for added protein in our diet. 

Crunchy Granola

Crunchy Granola
Adapted from the Southern Living 1984 Annual Recipes, page 144

I halved the recipe and omitted the coconut because of personal preference. If you would like to include the coconut, the recipe suggests 3/4 cups of flaked coconut.

• 2 cups uncooked oats
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

I combined all ingredients in a bowl and mixed thoroughly. Lightly grease a jellyroll sheet and spread the granola mixture on the sheet. Bake at 275 for an hour. Stir every 10 minutes. (My oven seems to run hot. So I reduced the heat to 250 and stirred often.) Let granola cool completely before storing.

The first time I tried this recipe, I burned the raisins, so I think I'm going to try it again without the raisins during the baking cycle and add the raisins at the last minute.

The second time I made this recipe, I omitted the almonds and doubled the pecans. I also added the raisins during the last ten minutes of baking and reduced the heat to 250. The recipe is not as sweet as some of the other granola we have tried. I think this may have to do with our omission of coconut, but it added good flavor and texture to our morning yogurt.