Simple Cinnamon Granola

I've been wanting to make my own granola for quite a while. I love my bowl of cereal first thing in the morning but the cereal prices here are steadily going up. Besides, homemade granola would be healthy for me anyways, right?

So I've been doing a bit of a hunt for granola recipes. I've heard of enough bad experiences with granola that I was a bit leery about giving it a try myself. I'm not always good at making things that burn easily in a matter of seconds. Especially now that I have 2 boys around to distract me.

But I found a recipe here that looked and sounded easy. And I found myself with a cool morning, content boys, and all the ingredients staring me in the face. Granola it was:

 

Yummy, too!

I haven't even eaten it with milk yet. Nor have I had it for breakfast yet and it is just about all gone. We eat it by the handful for a snack. It's that good. 

And the beautiful part? It's quick and easy.

Don't believe me? Try it out for yourself:

Simple Cinnamon Granola

2-¼ cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (I used Roger's Porridge cereal)
1 cup Coarsely Chopped Nuts (I used peanuts)
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
¼ cup Canola Oil
¼ cup Maple Syrup
¼ cup Brown Sugar
¼ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cup Dried Fruit (I used dried cranberries)

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together oats, chopped nuts, and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.

Combine oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves into liquid, about 5 minutes. Do not let it boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

Pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients and mix well to coat.

Spread mixture out onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Stir granola and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Stir one more time and bake another 5 minutes until golden brown, not dark.

Cool to room temperature and then add dried fruit. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!