maple syrup, make yourself useful

I've often envied the people who make their own granola. It seems so domestic. So Martha Stewart.

When Lori cleaned out her pantry last week, for her Great Move of 2013, she gifted me with many treasures from therein, including a slew of maple syrup. It was the perfect excuse to experiment with this recipe.

Maple Almond Granola Clusters

6 c. old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 c. finely ground almonds

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. (The bigger the better. A lot of granola is about to descend on that pan.)


2. In a large bowl, mix oats, ground almonds, and salt. Pour canola oil over the mixture and toss until evenly coated.


3. In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar and maple syrup. Warm on medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove pot from the heat, add in vanilla extract, and stir to combine.


4. Pour sugar mixture over oat mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.


5. Spread granola and press firmly into the lined cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool, and then break up into bite sized clusters. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Per usual, I deviated in a couple of areas:

* I thought a few chocolate chips might be fun. (When are they not?) I threw in about a cup of those, in step #2.

* I only had 3 cups of old-fashioned oats, and I supplemented the rest with steel cut oats. I have never cooked with those before, despite all the "they're so much better for you" rage, but I think they served the purpose well enough. They probably impacted the consistency more than anything else.

When mine was finished, there were some "clusters," but there was also a good bit of it that's looser, and probably more appropriate for a yogurt topping. (I think the steel cut oats might be the culprit.)

I kind of like that it's versatile, though.

(Because there's enough to feed an army.)

I'll be looking for any and all uses for this granola over the next two weeks. Suggestions? Let me hear them.