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Almond Granola with Dried Fruit

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Store-bought granola suffers from many shortcomings. It's often loose and gravelly and/or infuriatingly expensive. We wanted to make our own granola at home, with big, satisfying clusters and crisp texture. The secret was to firmly pack the granola mixture into a rimmed baking sheet before baking. Once it was baked, we had a granola "bark" that we could break into crunchy clumps of any size.
Chopping the almonds by hand is the first choice for superior texture and crunch. If you prefer not to hand chop, substitute an equal quantity of slivered or sliced almonds. (A food processor does a lousy job of chopping whole nuts evenly). Do not use quick oats.
Course Breakfast
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 9 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 cups raw almonds chopped coarse

Add after baking

  • 2 cups raisins or other dried fruit chopped coarse

Instructions

  • Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly coated.
  • Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer (about 3/8 inch thick). Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact. 
  • Bake until lightly browned, 20 minutes, rotate pan, bake 20 - 25 minutes more. 
  • Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in dried fruit. 

Notes

Granola can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.