When Cookies Aren't Approved Breakfast Foods

Those of you who know me out there (and let's face it, at this point that is most of you) know that I am not really a breakfast person.  Sure, I enjoy going out for brunch as much as the next guy, and breakfast for dinner is always a winner in my book.  But food in the morning?  Just not really a fan.  A substantive morning meal for me is a reach into the always-present box of cookies on the coffee table on my way out the door, much to Ruth's disappointment and consistent head shaking.  So today, I decided that the best solution would be to make something relatively sweet but much healthier that I can have a handful of in the mornings: homemade granola.

This was something I had always wanted to do, as I have never really found a granola pre-made that had the stuff in it that I wanted.  For instance, I like cashews and honey-roasted peanuts, but most other nuts aren't really my style.  I am not a huge lover of raisins, but dried cranberries or cherries make me smile.  So making my own granola seemed fairly logical and, as it turns out, it was very simple.

Homemade Granola
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup of your favorite nuts (cashews in my case)
1 cup dried fruit of choice (cherries today)
1 cup of something else exciting (peanut butter chips for me)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 250.  Mix together the oats and nuts in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the honey, syrup and oil until it comes together.  Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir to mix, adding the salt as you do so.  Then bake on a baking sheet for about an hour and a half, making sure to stir the mixture around so it all cooks evenly.  When done, transfer back into a bowl and mix in your dried fruit and other exciting ingredient(s).  If, as in the case of my peanut butter chips, things melt together, throw the whole thing back on the baking sheet, spread it out, and refrigerate until it isn't so messy.  (Or just dig right in and deal with hand washing afterwards.)

This particular mixture tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but you could just as easily make a tropical version with dried papaya and mango and some coconut flakes, or use dried blueberries and dark chocolate chips for a slightly sweeter version.  The possibilities are endless!  Go granola!  Much better breakfast than Oreos!