World’s Best homemade granola, courtesy of Ina Garten

I’ve been promising to post some recipes that I’ve raved about lately on Facebook.  It takes me a while…but I do whittle down my to-do list! This recipe is one of my family’s favorites. Try it and let me know what you think, or how you’ve tweaked it to make it your own. Better still, what’s your favorite homemade granola recipe? 

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup good honey
• 1 1/2 cups small diced dried apricots
• 1 cup small diced dried figs
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews

Note from Suzanne: If you don’t have those particular dried fruits or nuts, get creative and use what you have. Raisins, dried peaches, almonds, pecans, etc.  It’s still a terrific basic recipe.

Directions

Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in a large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Note from Suzanne: The granola can burn easily, so I have set the oven a little cooler and watch it carefully. There’s a fine line between toasty brown and burnt! Trust me, I know this!

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Note from Suzanne: Besides enjoying this granola with yogurt and fruit…try it over vanilla ice cream sometime! Dee-lish! (And most of you will remember that my husband is on a quest to create the perfect vanilla ice cream recipe. We have had a LOT of vanilla ice cream to enhance with granola and other wonderful add-ons!)

Source: Barefoot Contessa