Eat it :: Foster's Homemade Granola

Christmas mornings are spent at my parents. At Mom's Santa brings your gifts all set up and ready to play with. The kids play with their gifts while the adults attempt to wake up (usually after a late night of elf duty) with their coffee, then we open gifts one by one in age order. The youngest starts and everyone gets a chance to ooh and ahh over each person's present. After all of the gifts are opened we have a big Christmas brunch of my mom's most delicious Eggs Benedict. The only problem with this is as kids the first course was usually the goodies that were in our stockings; for some reason it took us years to wise up and we decided we needed a more substantial snack before brunch. So we came up with yogurt parfaits with homemade granola. Specifically the Foster's Market recipe. It's delish and I'll admit I skip the last step and don't add the dried fruit, not because I don't like dried fruit just because I want to get my hands on it! Here's the recipe just in case you decide you need yogurt and granola on Christmas morning too.

Foster's Homemade Granola
Makes about 6 cups

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 cup sliced almonds1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

¼ cup canola or safflower oil, plus more for greasing the pan

¾ cup maple syrup

¼ cup honey

½ cup dried cherries or cranberries

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F.

2. Spread the oats, coconut, and almonds on a large baking sheet with sides. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are lightly toasted but not yet golden. Transfer the ingredients to a large bowl.

3. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F. Lightly grease the baking sheet with oil or spray with vegetable oil spray.

4. Stir the maple syrup, oil, and honey together in a small bowl, pour over the oats, nuts, and coconut, and toss to coat evenly. Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the granola is just crispy and golden brown, stirring several times while baking. Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet, breaking up any large clumps while it is still warm.

5. When the granola has cooled completely, add the cherries and dried apricots and toss to mix. In an airtight container, this will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.