Kristen Roby, a blogger at Pressconnects.com, has a post about granola.  It got me to thinking about what I do for granola.  My mother, many years ago, gave me a Betty Crocker Cookbook.  She also typed - yes, it was the day and age of typing – many pages of her favorite recipes which I still use to this day.  Here is her Homemade Granola, Granola Casserole Bread and Granola Ripple Cake.

Homemade Granola

2 ½ cups rolled oats

1 cup shredded coconut – I omit this as I don’t like coconut

½ cup coarsely chopped almonds

½ cup sesame seeds

½ cup shelled sunflower seeds

½ cup unsweetened wheat germ

½ cup honey – I always look for local honey

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

½ cup raisins

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except apricots and raisins.  Combine honey and oil.  Stir into oat mixture.  Spread out in a 13”x9”x3” pan.  Bake in a 300F oven until light golden brown – 45 to 50 minutes – stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Stir in dried apricots and raisins.  Remove to another pan to cool.  Stir occasionally during cooling to prevent lumping.  Store in a tightly covered jar or plastic bags.  Makes 6 ½ cups.

Granola Casserole Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour – I generally use have whole wheat flour and have all-purpose

1 package dry yeast

1 ¼ cups water

3 tablespoons light molasses – you can alter the test of this by using different types of molasses

2 tablespoons margarine

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 ½ cups homemade granola

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and yeast.  In a saucepan, heat together water, molasses, margarine and salt, stirring constantly until margarine almost melts.  Cool, if necessary, to 120F.  Add to dry mixture in bowl.  Add egg.  Beat ½ minute at low speed on electric mixer, scraping sides of bowl constantly.  Beat 3 minutes at high speed.  By hand, stir in remaining flour and homemade granola, stirring until well-mixed.  Place in a well-greased soufflé dish or a 1 ½ quart casserole.  Cover loosely.  Let rise in a warm place until almost double in bulk, about 1 hour.  Bake at 325F for 45 minutes, covering with foil for the last 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.  Remove from casserole and brush with margarine or butter.  Makes 1 round loaf.

Granola Ripple Cake

1 package white cake mix

1 package butterscotch pudding mix

1 cup water

½ cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 cups homemade granola

Sifted confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, water and oil.  Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Prepare bundt pan, well-greased and floured.  Pour ¾ of the batter into the pan.  Sprinkle with homemade granola.  Carefully spoon the remaining batter over.  Bake at 350F for 50 to 55 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool for 15 minutes in pan.  Remove to rack and cool thoroughly.  Sprinkle with sifted sugar.