Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40-50 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (vegetable, corn or canola oil will work also)

1, 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1, 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup water

1 cup sweetened coconut (unsweetened will do also)

1 (1 lb. or so) flavored trail mix, any flavor that strikes your fancy. (I used the chocolaty Peanut Butter, which includes: peanuts, mini butterfingers, candy pieces, pretzel balls, peanut butter flavored candies and chashews.

1 C. mini chocolate chips

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Place the oats in a large bowl. In a separate mixing bowl or cooking pan, combine the sugar, honey, oil, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 cup water. Heat mixture in the microwave or over the stove top; just long enough to melt the sugar. At this point add your vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mix and stir until combine. Pour onto two baking sheets and spread evenly. You don’t want the layers to be too thick because you want them the dry out evenly and not be uncooked in some spots.

Bake 40 minutes, stirring halfway through to allow for even browning. Raise the oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue to bake until golden brown about 15 minutes. Watch this closing you don’t want to burn the granola.

Pour the cooked oat mixture into a large bowl, let cool (make sure this is cool before adding your chocolate because if it’s warm it will melt the chocolate) and stir in the raisins, cranberries, cherries, coconut and if using chocolate. The granola will keep in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool dry place for up to 3 weeks or in a deep freeze for about 6 months

Christina’s Notes:

I love recipes like these because you can go wild. Sometimes I have little bits of left over’s and what I mean is that I have a little bit of this kind of nut and a little bit of that kind of nut, left over. I also have little bits of different kinds of chocolate chips left over (just make sure to put them in once the oat mixture has cooled or you will melt your chocolate)…….throw them in, use what you have! Be creative!!!!! Most of your grocery stores now carry a verity of trail mixes. Mine has 5 to choose from which include: a nutty mixture, a dried fruit mixture, a spicy mixture and so on. Of course make your own and add what you like.