Susi’s Granola

Susi’s Granola (makes 56 cups)

Three part recipe

1. Dry mix (56 cups+/-)

Use two large bowls & split the following :

1 box rolled oats

2 lbs walnuts, chopped

1 lb sliced almonds

1 box grape nuts cereal

1 large box rice crispies

1 package rice puffs or wheat puffs

1 jar wheat germ

Cereal or anything else, except dried fruit, to bring it up to 56 cups

Heating this before combining with the syrup will make them blend easily

2. Syrup

a. Orange Granola Syrup (9 cups +/-)

1 can concentrated OJ

1 ½ C Syrup or honey (Neutral flavor)

1 small jar Marmalade (can use large)

1 ½ C Sugar Neutral flavor

1 C fresh OJ or lemon juice (can use water)

1 ½ C Oil Neutral flavor (add last)

1 t salt (optional)

1 OJ can of water to rinse marmalade & OJ can (add enough to make 9 C)

You can vary the juices & jellies to make any kind of flavored granola

OR

b. Cinnamon & Vanilla Syrup (9 cups +/-)

3 C sugar, any combo of white/brown

1 C honey or syrup (Maple, molasses, pancake, etc)

2 T vanilla (may add more)

2 T cinnamon

1 C peanut butter (optional, adds protein, but doesn’t change the flavor)

1 t salt (optional)

1 C Oil

2 C water or juice (apple, etc) to bring it up to 9 cups

Heat on very low, so it doesn’t caramelize. Use ½ of this for 28+/- C of dry mix (your two bowls, above). Stir until all dry mix is coated. Put into baking pans or jelly roll pans, thin layer is best. Bake on lowest heat until mostly dry, then turn off oven & leave in oven for several hours until really dry. Stir several times.

3. Dried fruit (added after baking)

Separate pieces by adding a bit of confectioners sugar & rolling them around with your fingers, otherwise they’ll clump up in the dry mix.

Split between the two bowls:

2 large packages of raisins

1 large package of cranberry raisins

Anything else, but the above is sufficient.

Note:

This recipe calls for about 6 1/4 C dry mix for every 1 C syrup. It makes a very crumbly granola. If you want lumpy granola, increase the proportion of syrup to dry & bake longer with fewer stirrings.

If you want to make Granola bars: Candy the syrup by heating to 235F (softball stage). Add the fruit to the dry before mixing. Heat the dry to facilitate mixing the two. Pack the mixture tightly into lined & greased pans and bake until firm. Don’t bake too long, maybe 20 minutes @ 300F, because it will get too hard. Cut into bars while it’s warm. You can also dry it or put it in the sun to meld.