{sms} cherry almond granola

Good stuff. I make granola all the time. In fact, I’ve made Sweet Melissa’s Cherry Almond Granola once before. It was used in the 4th recipe baked for Sweet Melissa’s Sundays—Granola Breakfast Cookies–way back in April 2009. It’s kinda weird because you can see I’m wearing my wedding rings. Weird. It was a previous life.

Another difference between then and now is that this week I’m hosting the recipe. Oh, and this time I didn’t drop my granola container and waste most of the batch. 😉

Granola is great because you do anything with it. You can use it in cookies and bread. You can eat as cereal. You can eat it with yogurt and fruit. And, of course, it’s great on double-bean vanilla ice cream.

Cherry Almond Granola

From The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

Makes 4 quarts granola

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 3 cups rye flakes (see note)
• 1 cup unsalted shelled sunflower seeds
• 1 cup roasted shelled pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup whole natural almonds
• 1/2 cup dry milk powder
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup clover honey
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup dried currants
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup golden raisins

Before You Start

Position a rack in the bottom and top thirds of your oven. Preheat the oven to 250° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

1. In a very large bowl, combine the oats, rye flakes, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, almonds, and dry milk powder.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk together the oil, honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger and bring to a simmer, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Pour hot mixture over the oat mixture, and mix well to combine.
4. Divide the granola equally between the prepared cookie sheets, spreading it evenly into a single layer. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.
5. Break up the granola into a bowl. Add the currants, cherries, and raisins and mix thoroughly.

The granola keeps in an airtight container at room temperature and in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Note: Rye flakes are similar to rolled oats and can be used in much the same way. You can find them at natural foods stores.