homemade granola party!

 I’m not going to fool you into thinking this is health food but it sure is delicious! My husband eats old-fashioned oats for breakfast every morning with a sprinkle of cinnamon & a drizzle of honey. He LOVES having this homemade granola to stir in for crunch, sweetness & extra nutty flavor! I love it mixed with yogurt and it also makes a great to-go snack when I’m running late for an early appointment. 

My daughter first discovered the recipe. I’m not sure where she got it but I’ve changed it up a bit & we all love it. You can customize it with any combination of nuts and dried fruit. All ingredients besides the oats are optional. I add the wheat germ but if you don't have it, feel free to skip it. If you don't like walnuts, leave them out. My daughter has been known to stir in some m&m’s or chocolate chips after it’s cooled. It makes a TON & the recipe can be halved.

 Today I added dried craisins, dried apple chips & banana chips. I loved these golden delicious crispy apple chips. YUM!

Homemade Granola

ingredients

8 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup wheat germ

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup pure  maple syrup

¾ cup honey

1 cup oil (I use coconut oil but you could use vegetable or canola)

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups of your choice of dried fruit, cranberries, raisins, banana chips, dried apple chips, etc. to be added after baking

directions

1.     Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

2.     Combine oats, pecans, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and wheat germ in a large bowl and stir until mixed well.

 3.     In a small saucepan, mix the brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Bring just to a boil then pour over oat mixture. Stir well to coat. 

 4.     Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets. If you like the big granola nuggets like the picture above, press it down into the pan a bit. Bake until toasty about 25-30 minutes, stirring half way through. Granola may appear to be wet, but will crisp up as it cools. 

 5.     Allow to cool completely, then stir in dried fruit.

peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with m&m's party!

Shown above with multi-colored m&m's! 

Shown below with school colors...GO Hawks!

This is a beloved recipe from our extended family cookbook we put together about 12 years ago. The recipe is an original from my mom. The peanut butter, chocolate chips & oatmeal combination is the golden key to cookie perfection! Thanks, Mom!

I like to add m&m's for a double dose of chocolate. You can definitely make these without the m&ms and they are just as yummy. I made these today in school colors for some awesome 2012 Alta High School graduates.

I like to make these cookies small, almost bite sized. They don't spread much and they are thick & chewy in the middle. I always slightly under bake my cookies because I like them soft with only a teensy crunch on the edges.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies
makes 90 small cookies

ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (I use smooth, Mom uses chunky)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz. chocolate chips (I use mini, Mom uses mega)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 cup m&m's, optional

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar & brown sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla and blend. Mix in flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

2. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and drop cookie dough by tablespoon onto pan. I use my small Pampered Chef scoop to measure the cookie dough.

3. Bake 5-6 minutes. (mine were perfect at 5 minutes) Remove cookie sheet from oven & press m&m's into the tops of the cookies. Place back in oven & bake an additional 2 minutes.

4. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to cooling rack.

Congratulations class of 2012!

Cookie tip: If you are making cookies & they go flat when baked and you don't want them to, your butter may be too soft. You can try adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour or refrigerate your cookie dough for about 45 minutes & between batches.