Cosmic Rhino

For a long time now, I’ve been meaning to experiment with making granola. I used this recipe from Martha Stewart’s website, but slightly modified it based on ingredients I had in the kitchen. Voila! It was that easy and beats any store-bought version I’ve tried. Here’s the recipe for about 6 cups:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 cup unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (any dried fruit would work)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spread shredded coconut on top. Bake until toasted. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
2. Decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In a large bowl, toss together oats, wheat germ, seeds, nuts, sesame seeds, and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together honey and butter; pour over oat mixture. Stir well. Spread onto sheets. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Break up granola; sprinkle with dried fruit and toasted coconut. Store in airtight container.