Costco Clone Granola

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.)

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 6 cups

Ingredients

• Granola

• 4  cups old fashioned oats
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup wheat germ
• 1⁄2 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

• 1⁄2 cup  vegetable oil
• 1⁄2 cup honey, plus
• 1⁄4 cup maple syrup or 1⁄4 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.