"fool" proof granola

hello all! i'm starting today off on the right foot - did an assignment, ate breakfast, made coffee, read my horoscope, contacted my school about my master's degree.. now what?  well, last night i decided to make granola, and i thought i would share the results/recipe with you. this is an extremely versatile recipe - i changed many things based on their availability. in fact, most of the ingredients were already in my pantry. convenient and simple.

"fool" proof granola
dry
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, chopped (you can leave them whole, they just won't distribute as evenly)
2 tbsp ground flax
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
handful of golden raisins
handful of dried cranberries

wet
3 tbsp all natural peanut butter (could use almond/other nut butter)
2 1/2 tbsp applesauce**
1/4 cup golden corn syrup (didn't have brown rice syrup)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

**i would stick to unsweeted applesauce. as much as possible, i use homemade - so i used homemade apple sauce made from last year's crabapples (which translates to sour).

stir together the dry ingredients (large bowl). stir together wet ingredients - you may want to heat the ingredients sans extract, then mix and add extract (medium bowl).  mix the wet into the dry until combined.  place on parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 325 F for about 35 minutes - stirring every 10-12 minutes. make sure that you have a nice even and thin layer, rather than a bulky uneven mess.

note: cooking time will vary - i prefer my granola nicely toasted and crunchy, as i eat it as cereal or in my oatmeal. i want texture! this granola does it.

xx take care, animal-friendly followers

ashley