This is our all-time favorite recipe I made of granola that I thought I’d share with y’all.  We eat it for practically everything! snacks, breakfast, or something to hold you until dinner.

6 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup wheat bran

1 cup whole wheat pastry or all purpose flour

2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup earth balance or butter

1 Tbps. vanilla extract

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups water

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients together (oats, flour, bran, salt, cinnamon). Melt butter in a small saucepan and pour into a small bowl; mix in vanilla and sugar and add to dry ingredients. Pour water and stir well. Divide granola onto two baking pans, no grease (I use round pizza pans); use a spoon to flatten and even out the batter. Preheat the oven while the granola is inside at 350 degrees; bake for 32 minutes, turn oven off and let granola sit for 4 – 6 hours. (do not open oven door!) When ready, remove granola from oven and with a hard spatula (sometimes also a butter knife), break into pieces and store in a container. Enjoy as a breakfast cereal, snack, or whatever else you can think of!

I can’t tell you exactly how much this recipe makes, but it makes a pretty large batch, and in our family lasts about 3 days, depending on how many of us are in a mood to eat it for breakfast. If this if your first time making granola (and depending on the size of your family) you may want to “half” this recipe until you determine how much of it you need to make. Also if you like your granola sweet you may need to add more sugar (and a little more water).

*You can also make this an hour or so before going to bed; after the 32 minutes are up, let the granola sit in the oven all night and enjoy in the morning!