Costco Clone Granola

Katzen's Note:

I tried Costco's granola the other day, and is it EVER good! Now, I'm not saying this recipe is an exact clone of Costco's, but it's the best I found. Add or subtract ingredients according to your taste - you can use less sugar if you like, increase the amount of wheat germ, add flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, other dried fruit or nuts - it's perfect for experimenting. (Recipe credit to this blog: http://hogiewogie.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html.)

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

Yield: 6.0 cups

Granola

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup wheat germ
• ½ cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup nuts (i.e. sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, pecans)
• 1 cup dried fruit , chopped (dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, apricots, etc.)

Coating

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup honey , plus
• ¼ cup maple syrup or ¼ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Mix granola ingredients in a large bowl.
3. For coating, heat oil, honey, and maple syrup to a rolling boil. Turn off heat and add vanilla. Pour over granola mixture and blend well. Spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring the granola every 5 minutes while baking to ensure even browning. Watch it closely as it can burn fast. For softer granola do not bake as long.

Reviews

[swissms]

Very good! I used slivered almonds, chopped pecans and dried cherries. I also baked mine for 30 minutes. Made for PRMR.

[Mimi in Maine]

Absolutely delicious. I did not put the fruit in prior to baking. I have found from other experiments that the fruit gets hard. I always add it as we eat it. Now with that said, I made this for my granddaughter who loves "healthy" food. I gave her a bag of dried apricots and a bag of dry fruit mix to put on when she ate it. My husband and I tasted a piece before I bagged it for her and it was yummy. She called me two days later and said it was the best granola she'd had. I asked if she liked it better than what I usually make and she said, "yes". So this will be the granola I make from now on. I have to make us a batch now. Thanks, Katzen, for this great recipe.

[CarrolJ]

Well this tasted great while it was still hot so I'm looking forward to having some in a bowl and some milk later. this is a lot less expensive than those in the grocery stores too. I also didn't add my dried fruit until it came out of the oven. I learned that lesson some time ago. Don't cook the fruit unless you want little pebbles in your cereal! I used craisins. Thanks Katzen for a great recipe! Made for Spring PAC 2010 http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=327498&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0