Making it up: granola

Bullshitting is fun, especially when it comes to cooking.  That’s why making granola is my new, favorite kitchen endeavor.  You can literally make the whole recipe up, and it will still taste good.

Last week my eight-year-old and I made up an original granola recipe, and it was exceptionally tasty considering our limited cooking skills.  We did a bit of research online to get the basics, and then we pulled the ingredients we wanted to use from our jam packed kitchen cupboards.  It was fun!

Another bonus?  The aroma of homemade granola is domestic and calming.  It made my kids feel like I was wrapping my arms around them.  And I must admit I felt triumphant when the kids dug in, because homemade granola promoted loads of healthy snacking.

Below is our recipe.  We didn’t add nuts because my kids believe nuts ought to be consumed solo, but I’d add cashews and chopped almonds if I could:

Granola

Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a large mixing bowl combine:

• 3 cups oats
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Chia seeds 
• 1 tablespoon oat bran  (We happened to have Chia seeds and oat bran in our cupboards, but you could use anything here.  Flax seeds or wheat germ would also be good choices)