granola - make it yourself!

How To Make granola - make it yourself!

• 
  Step 1
  For the nuts, I use a mixture of what I keep on hand -- almonds, walnuts & pecans. Today I happened to have a good sized jar of mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, filberts & pecans) that worked very well.
• Step 2
  Put the oatmeal and nuts into a bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients, except for the dried fruit. Stir until the brown sugar has pretty well dissolved.
• Step 3
  Pour this mixture over the oatmeal and nuts, stir to combine thoroughly.
• Step 4
  Spray a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet, 18x13, works well). Spread the mixture evenly on the baking sheet.
• Step 5
  Bake in 300 degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, stirring & turning about every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven as soon as it is a light golden brown.
• 
  Step 6
  After removing from the oven, give the mixture another good stir. Be sure to turn it over enough that what was on the bottom has been loosened before it begins to stick. (I let mine cool on this same pan, Bobby Flay recommended transferring to another pan to stop the cooking process.)
• 
  Step 7
  Stir in your half-cup of dried fruits. I use what is always on hand -- raisins, craisins & dried cherries. Apricots, dried pineapples, etc. when I have them. (In this picture, granola looks a little darker than I would consider ideal.)
• 
  Step 8
  Let your granola cool completely to room temp before storing it in an airtight container. This completely fills up a large jar that originally contained 2-1/2 lbs of nuts (a Costco-size jar).
• Step 9
  You can get Bobby Flay's recipe for Apricot Yogurt Parfait from cookingchanneltv. Or you can just eat your granola any way you like to eat granola. Just be aware, the groan of pleasure when I tasted mine this morning would have been embarrassing if anyone had heard me.
• Last Step: Don't forget to share! Post a picture of your finished recipe here and on your favorite social network. Don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes!