Homemade Sweet Granola

Today I made a delightfully easy, fast, and delicious snack: homemade sweet granola! Thanks to my mother-in-law, Laura, and a missionary from West Africa, I had some good homemade granola recipes on hand from which to draw inspiration.  All of the ingredients I used can be modified and/or exchanged for different things, such as dried fruit, nuts, etc. for a different or more savory taste.

Here are the ingredients I used:

4 c. old-fashioned oats

4 tblsp. Brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

6 tblsp. vanilla extract (I used this in place of 1/2 c. maple syrup because I don't have any maple syrup here in Madagascar! Okay, and I just really love vanilla. I didn't notice any taste issues with this substitution, either.)

6 tblsp. oil

2 tblsp. water

6 tsp. cinnamon (You can use as little as 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, I just really love cinnamon and added more for flavor).

1/4 c. carmel chips

1/4 c. chocolate chips

Easy Instructions:

1.     Adjust oven rack to middle position; preheat oven to 275^oF.

 Coat a 9 X 13 metal pan with cooking oil.

2.     Mix oats, brown sugar, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3.     Bring vanilla extract, oil, water, and cinnamon to  a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat.

4.     Drizzle syrup mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.

5.     Pour mixture onto prepared pan; spread evenly.

6.     Bake for 30 min., stirring after 15.

7.     After 30 minutes, add carmel and chocolate chips and stir.  Bake for an additional 15 min.

8.     Cool and store in air-tight container.  Can be eaten dry or with milk.

 Enjoy!!!