Toasted Granola

This is my grandmother's recipe. It is time consuming, but SO worth it!

7 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey*
1/2 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 teaspoon of salt (optional)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

Oven: 325
Serving Size: 1/2 cup**

If you are using almonds, lay those on a pan and let them toast lightly while you measure out the rest of the ingredients. It only takes 2-3 minutes to toast them, so watch them carefully so they don't burn!

Put the oats in a bowl, and in a small saucepan stir and heat (do NOT boil!) the water with brown sugar and salt until they dissolve. Add oil, honey and butter. Continue heating until the butter is melted, but do not let it boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla flavoring. Pour the mixture over the oats, and mix until the liquid is absorbed.

Bake the mixture until lightly toasted, stirring every 4-5 minutes pressing out lumps as they form. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to toast the granola, stirring every 4-5 minutes. It is a pain, I will admit that! But this granola is really good, and healthy. Once the mixture is lightly toasted, turn off the oven, and make sure all the lumps are pressed out.

When the granola is dry and no longer hot, add the raisins and almonds. Store in an air-tight container. I keep my container stored in the freezer, but it will also keep in your cabinet (I am not sure how long it will stay fresh, so keep an eye on it if you don't freeze this!)

I enjoy this for breakfast with rice milk, or regular milk. My grandparents eat this almost every morning, and they eat a banana with it. Enjoy!

*measure the oil first, so the honey will just slide right out of the measuring cup!
**It doesn't look like much, but 1/2 cup is really filling!