Glorious Granola

Let's cut to the chase:  This is seriously worthy granola.  End.of.story.

I know.  You have your own favorite granola and likely it comes from a box!  Well, maybe it is pretty darn good, but your granola has met its match today.  And I contend that Glorious Granola meets sweet standards:

It is flavorful, crispy and crunchy, but not too sweet.
It is so easy to make.  You will need to babysit it a bit while it browns in the oven, but it needs minimal attention.
It is adaptable.  It can grace your yogurt, add new dimension atop your everyday cereal, but frankly it is best on its own with a spoon…a big spoon.
It is forgiving.  You don't have raisins?  Leave them out.  No old-fashioned rolled oats?  Use quick oats instead or even a flake-like cereal.  Don't like almonds?  (You don't?)  Go ahead and put in walnuts, pecans, or even macadamia nuts.  Not enough maple syrup?  No problem.  I subbed in a bit of Mrs. Butterworth's Original and if I didn't admit to it, you'd never know.
It makes enough to give some away (although you won't want to).  We are headed to the west coast late this week, and I'm taking a zip-lock bagful as a gift for the woman who has invited us to stay with her.
It is a thing of beauty.  Really.  It's even more beautiful when you're the creator.

See?  No stress granola. Yum.

I've read a lot of recipes for granola.  Kudos to David Lebovitz, whose "The Best Granola Recipe" adapts Nigella Lawson's recipe with applesauce in place of the some of the oil.  He also adds a bit of plum kernel oil and, according to him, the resulting taste is amazing.  By the way, I probably don't need to tell you that plum kernel oil and I are complete strangers.

Other recipes feature an extensive list of ingredients like ginger, rice syrup, different kinds of seeds, wheat germ, and all kinds of dried fruit.

Enter Alton Brown, whose granola recipe has become my one and only and is so worthy of your attention.

Glorious Granola
adapted from Alton Brown
Yield:  2 pounds

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups nuts (ideas: slivered almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, macadamia)
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins *
1 cup dried fruit, cut if necessary (ideas: apricots, cranberries, cherries, blueberries)*

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 º F.
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients: oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar
In another smaller bowl, mix together the maple syrup, vegetable oil, and salt.
Pour liquid mixture onto dry mixture.
Combine with a large spoon, spatula, or your hands.
Pour onto 2 sheet pans (or 1 large cookie sheet) covered with foil for ease of cleanup.
Place into oven and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve a uniform color.  I removed the cookie sheet from the oven each time I stirred with a spatula.
Remove from oven and pour into a large bowl.  Add raisins and dried fruit and mix.  Let cool.

* I have added the raisins and dried fruit at the end (as this recipe suggests), but also at the beginning with the oat mixture.  I have noticed no difference in taste or texture.  However, you will have two extra cups of volume in the baking portion of the recipe.

All the ingredients are mixed and spread onto cookie sheet that was covered with foil.

The granola is finished and cooling in a bowl.  Notice the golden color.

Packed and ready to transport!