Cinnamon-Nut Granola

By norsegal8

This buttery, spicy granola is the perfect balance of salt and sweet, crisp and crunch, fruit and nuts. The flavor of the butter is terrific, especially with cinnamon, but if you are worried about cholesterol, substitute oil in the recipe. As with every granola, varying the fruit and nuts is the fun part.

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup whole dry-roasted peanuts, salted or unsalted
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (less if you are using salted peanuts)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Combine the oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Melt the butter and stir it into the honey. Pour the butter-honey mixture over the mix until everything is well-moistened.

Pour the granola onto 2 baking sheets with rims. If you line the sheets with parchment, your cleanup will be much easier.

Bake until the cereal is evenly toasted, 30 to 40 minutes. Halfway through the baking process, remove the pans from the oven, give the cereal a stir, and put the pans back in the oven to finish baking. Remove the granola from the oven and allow it to cool on the baking sheets. When it is cooled, add the dried fruits. Store in an airtight container.