~~ Jason's Granola ~~

This stuff is very basic and highly satisfying. Much better than anything store-bought, I've found. This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's granola recipe. As long as the proportions remain the same, you can mix and match ingredients.

* 3 cups rolled oats
* 1 cup slivered almonds
* 1 cup pecan pieces
* 3/4 cup shredded coconut
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp brown sugar
* 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp maple syrup
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 cup dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar to distribute evenly. In a smaller bowl, whisk maple syrup, oil and salt to combine. Pour the syrup mixture over the dry mixture and fold to evenly combine.
3. Spread the mixture evenly on to two rimmed baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes, until nicely browned and fragrant.
4. Remove granola to a large bowl. After cooling, mix in dried cherries.

That's it. This stuff will keep in an airtight container for... well, I don't know how long, actually. It never lasts more than a couple of days in my apartment.

Mix in different nuts (cashews are good), substitute raisins or dried blueberries for the cherries. Like I said, keep the proportions right, and you can swap out whatever you like.

P.S. I forgot to mention that I gave a few generous sprinkles of Penzey's cinnamon, probably a little less than 1/4 teaspoon.

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VARIATIONS, so far:
-- I made this recipe a second time after shelling all my leftover pecans, hazelnuts (filberts), and almonds.
-- I, also, substituted approximately 2/3 of the maple syrup with dark corn syrup without a problem.
-- Instead of mixing in the fruit, I just gave family members their choice of raisins, dates, dried cherries, and blueberries. (what I had on hand)