Homemade Granola!

My mom and grandma used to make this yummy granola all the time when I was little. My mom just made some recently and since we eat granola regularly I thought it would be great if I made some. This recipe makes A LOT, but you can freeze it! I calculated the cost compared to even the cheapest store bought granola and it's less than half the price! Totally worth the time! 

I used all Best Choice or Always Save to save a little money. 

You'll need two large bowls or containers. 

Separate dry ingredients equally and mix together.

Mix and bring wet ingredients to a boil. 

Pour wet ingredients equally onto dry ingredients and mix well. 

Put a thin layer of mixture on a cookie sheet with sides. 

After baking in the oven for your choice of time (shorter for chewy, longer for crunchy) cool it on foil. 

Repeat the baking process until you've cooked and cooled all mixture. It will take awhile! Put cooled granola into freezer bags. Make sure to put the date on the bags. The first bag doesn't have a date because we were going to eat it first!

Grandma's and Mom's Homemade Granola

In a saucepan, cook down

     3 cups brown sugar

     3/4 cup honey

     3 cups vegetable oil

     1 1/2 cups water

     1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Mix with 3 pounds old fashioned oats (NOT quick oats) plus nuts, dried fruit, ect. 

Bake at 300 degrees (for at least 10 mins on each side - longer for more crispy) flip and cook until brown. 

* Side note: Don't let the granola get too brown. I think I almost burnt a few batches. The best batch I did was the last one. I cooked it for 10-15 mins. on each side and then let it cool on the pan before I put it on the foil to finish cooling. I don't have two cookie sheets with sides or I would have done this for all batches.