Ditch the Box - Homemade Cold Cereal / Granola

I used to pretty much think you only ate granola sprinkled on things.  I like to eat it sprinkled on yogurt, on Homemade Yogurt Parfaits, and applesauce, or for snacking by the handful - but but then I read on a blog somewhere about eating it with milk, in a bowl, like boxed cereal.  Duh... I'm not sure why that never occurred to me but I am so glad I tried it.  It's super delicious!

You know how cereal commercials always go on and on about their products not getting soggy in milk?  Well, homemade granola NEVER gets soggy.  And there's no weird ingredients to keep it from getting soggy.  Just good old fashioned homemade goodness like toasted oats and nuts that don't get soggy anyway. 

I actually stopped buying cold cereal years ago  and subbed into our breakfast options things like Chocolate Chip/Blueberry Muffins, Frozen "Toaster" French Toast, homemade smoothies, toast, and things like that.  I actually was a big cold cereal fan.. and not the healthy stuff.  I favored things like Crunch Berries, Cocoa Puffs, and Sugar Smacks (eek! LOL).  But I love this just as well!  Seriously! I sometimes crave a bowl of cereal with icy cold milk, especially when the weather heats up - so I was tickled to try homemade granola and milk as a homemade cold cereal.

My favorite way to eat granola as cold cereal is with dried blueberries.  I get these at my local Walmart.  Dried blueberries aren't as dry as raisins.  They still offer lots of juicy blueberry punch!  I also like sliced bananas in my cold granola/milk.

This post is not a new recipe.  This is the same Perfect Granola recipe that I have always made.  (I look forward to trying some recipes for chocolate granola because I really love chocolate cold cereal, but I haven't found a recipe I'm sold on just yet.)  

Here's how I DITCHED THE BOX of cold cereal and make Homemade Cold Cereal - Perfect Granola AT HOME MY WAY:

PERFECT GRANOLA - cold cereal

• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup oil (I use Canola) 
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 1 tsp. cinnamon 
• 2 tsp. vanilla 
• 7 cups oats (I use old fashioned, NOT quick cooking) chopped pecans, sliced almonds, etc. (just make sure your combined oats/nuts only equals 7 cups)

Instructions:

In a small pot, mix brown sugar, oil and honey.  Heat and stir until hot / all dissolved.  (I now do this in the microwave.  Just make sure it doesn't boil over because it swells as it cooks.)

Remove from heat.  Stir in cinnamon and vanilla.

In a separate/large bowl, mix oats/nuts (if any) together.  

Pour heated liquid ingredients over.  Stir well.

Layer parchment paper on sheet pan or broiler pan.  Spread coated granola in the pan on the parchment paper.

Bake at 375° (make sure the oven is fully preheated) for 15 minutes. 

Take out and stir.

Return the pan to the oven.  Bake another 15 minutes or until golden brown.  (Sometimes I stir a few times in the oven to even up the browning process.)

When toasted, remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking it up.

Any dried fruits (cranberries, golden raisins, raisins, dried blueberries, should be added after cooled.)

I store mine in a glass jar.  It keeps for a month,. at least.

Enjoy!

Gina