Homemade Granola + Gifting

I spent most of the weekend baking and sewing gifts for friends, co-workers and my husband’s clients. One of my favorite homemade gifts to give is granola packaged in mason jars. I use a little fabric (cut in circles) to decorate the jars. Granola is ridiculously easy to make and you can bake a large batch in about an hour.

Granola is one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” type deals, so there really is no need for an actual recipe, but here is a guide for those of you looking to try it yourself.

Preheat oven to 400F

Take six cups of oats, unseasoned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flatten oats on a large cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, chop up about two cups of your favorite nuts. I used raw pecans and walnuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the toasted oats add the chopped nuts, 2 cups of finely chopped dried fruit (cranberries and apricots are my fav) and drizzle 2/3 cup of honey over mixture. Using your hands (always best) mix together the oats, nuts, fruit and honey. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My family loves the stuff and we save a ton of money by not buying those expesnvie, packaged granola in the stores. You can also use it to make a fruit and yogurt parfait (coming soon!) or use it as a base for nuesli (also coming soon!).