By Emily McLaughlin

The last time I tried to make granola, I almost set the house on fire (true story–ask my roommates). To sum up the incident, I forgot that the granola was in the oven, got engrossed in some trashy reality show, and before I knew it our apartment was filling with the smell of charred oats. I had to take the smoking baking sheet outside and let it cool on the porch.

I have since learned my lesson. Granola requires a lot of attention during the baking process, so using a timer or alarm is key. Below is a recipe for a perfect yogurt topper, ice cream addition or basic cereal.

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup (unsalted) peanuts

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

dash of salt

1/4 cup of honey/lite maple syrup (I use 1/8 cup of both)

1/2 cup of dried fruit (I chose 1/4 cup of raisins & 1/4 craisins)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. While the oven is warming up, mix all the dry ingredients (with the exception of the dried fruit) together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

3. Once combined, add the wet ingredients to the bowl–stirring well.

4. Spread the mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet (canola oil or olive oil will do). Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring  every 5-10 minutes. Pay close attention during the last 10 minutes of baking to make sure you don’t burn the granola (one of my frequent mistakes).

5. When it is done, the granola should be lightly browned. Let it cool before stirring in the dried fruit and store it upright in a sealed container.

Mix with yogurt and fresh fruit for a fueling breakfast!

*I estimated how many calories (total) are in this batch of granola and came up with ~1,200. This means you are looking at 150 calories per 1/4 cup. This is a rough estimate–I rounded up in many cases to simplify the math. ;) Let me know if any of you try this recipe and accurately calculate the calories.