Homemade Christmas: Christmas Granola
By: Flour On My Face
Published: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 - 9:05pm

Ingredients




5 cups of old fashioned oats
1 cup barley oats
1 ½ cups sweetened coconut, reserve ½ cup
1 cup pecan halves, lightly chopped
¾ cup sliced almonds
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup honey
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup vegetable oil or oil of choice
Juice of 2 oranges
zest of two oranges
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2 In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and oil. Set aside. 3 Mix the dried cranberries and raisins in a small bowl and pour the orange juice over the dried fruit and toss. Let them soak while you’re mixing up the rest of the recipe. 4 Into a very large bowl mix the oats, nuts, 1 cup of coconut and orange zest.  Toss until everything is evenly distributed. 5 Pour the brown sugar mixture over the oats mixture and toss to evenly coat all the oats and nuts. If it seems a little dry add some of the orange juice and mix. Start out with about 2 tablespoons of the orange juice and adjust. You don’t want the granola soaking wet. 6 You just want the brown sugar mixture to evenly coat everything. If you need to use more juice add a few more drops at a time. 7 I know not everyone has parchment paper on hand. It is not necessary for the recipe but does make clean up easier. If you have parchment paper on hand you can cover your baking sheet with some. If not don’t worry about it. 8 I wouldn't suggest aluminum foil because with all the tossing there is a chance the aluminum might tear and a piece of it might unknowingly end up in your granola. 9 Once you have everything mixed together and evenly coated divide between two large baking sheets. 10 No I didn’t forget about the cranberries and raisin.  They will be added after baking the granola. 11 Bake the granola for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Half way through the baking time pull the sheets out of the oven and toss. 12 Even after the granola has cooked and is a golden brown the granola might seem a bit wet and sticky. That is fine as it cools it will dry even more. 13 Remove the granola from the oven. Drain the cranberries and raisins. Divide the fruit between the two trays and toss. 14 Cool slightly and add the 1/2 cup of reserved coconut. 15 Allow granola to cool completely before storing in an airtight container or packaging up in individual holiday packaging.

About

I love to give homemade food items as Christmas gifts to close friends and sometimes my neighbors. 
Not only do I enjoy making the holiday treats but not everyone cooks and bakes like I do so they appreciate it even more when I share my goodies with them.

Comments:
Bill

Hmmm..... When is the cinnamon added? Maybe at step 5? Why is a 1/2 cup of coconut reserved, but never added? If no parchment paper is available, why not suggest foil, or a cooking spray like Pam?
Flour On My Face

Bill
Thanks for catching that. I've updated my recipe. Have a great day!
Bill

You too! I mentioned foil since for years finding parchment paper here was akin to looking for hen's teeth...  Our local WalMart just started stocking it.  
You have a Merry Christmas!