I grew up eating cereals for breakfast most mornings. We were lucky because being home-schooled meant that first there was the fruit course and then an hour or so later, we sat down for “breakfast”. And when you think of cereal you may be expecting the kind that comes in a box with a name like Cheerios or Frosted Flakes but that’s not the kind of cereal we used to eat. Think oatmeal, millet, cream of wheat, and sometimes granola. So lets talk about this granola. By the time I was eleven or twelve I was making it myself and pretty much every one of my siblings (there are five of us) have taken our turn at the stove top. This is by far the easiest granola recipe out there. Seriously, if you find one that is easier let me know but I’m pretty sure you won’t.

 

Ingredients:

rolled oats

nuts

dried fruit

cinnamon

nutmeg

all-spice (sometimes)

syrup (NOT the fake kind or else the granola gods will come get you)

 

So you’re probably thinking, what is wrong with this person?! What about measurements? Types of nuts? Types of fruit? That’s why this is the easiest granola ever. There are no measurements and you get to pick the nuts and fruit and even the spices. Don’t think you’re limited to what I’ve listed above.

First off, you need a cast-iron skillet. You can probably get away with making this in a big frying pan but I’ve never tried so I won’t vouch for the results (in fact, I will be over here watching skeptically with raised eyebrow).

Fill your skillet with rolled oats, leaving enough room to stir in the nuts and fruits without making an enormous mess. Put the skillet on medium-high heat and start stirring. Your goal is to brown the oats and after about 5-10 minutes (depending on your stovetop) add in the chopped nuts. I like to use slivered almonds or chopped pecans. Toast those nuts for a bit as well. Once the mixture starts to turn a warm brown, add chopped up dried fruit. My favorites include currants, cranberries or apricots. I’ve also be known to toss in some coconut flakes if I’m feeling adventurous. The same goes for the spices. I add these to the oats and nuts (before the fruit) and you can think up any combo you like. The simplest is to sprinkle in some cinnamon and call it good.

I’m an impatient gal so I usually have the heat on pretty high and the whole pan is well toasted in 15 minutes. However, you run the risk of scorching your oats which I have done more times than I can count so if you’re not in a hurry you can turn the heat down a little and stir leisurely. Once everything is honey-brown colored, turn the heat to low and drizzle syrup over everything. Use your own discretion. Too much syrup will make the whole thing sticky…even if you keep it on the heat awhile longer. Not enough syrup and your granola is bland. Just the right amount means that you will stir the granola for a bit longer, turn the heat off and after letting it cool off you should have a nice, slightly crunchy granola.The whole process takes me about 20-30 minutes.

In an air-tight container theoretically the granola can last a few weeks and still be fresh. If you’ve used too much syrup and you have sticky stuff then it may last you a week (but it’ll taste super good). In my house one batch of granola doesn’t last more than 10 days because it’s the breakfast meal of choice.