Almond Cashew Granola Parfait

I was inspired by Alton Brown's segment on oats.  I remember thinking, "that sounds like a really yummy recipe for granola".  So when it came time to pick my brunch menu, I added this on.  You can't really go wrong with a granola recipe.  Some oats, some accompaniments such as nuts or coconut shreds, and some time toasting in the oven.  And you probably already have most of the ingredients in your pantry.  Not only that - you can make this in advance and it keeps pretty well for at least a week (more if you freeze it).

Old-fashioned oats surrounded by pink and red.

Mixing in cashews, slivered almonds, and brown sugar

Below is the mixture of maple syrup (the real stuff) with some oil.

Toasting away...

Almond Cashew Granola, recipe borrowed from Alton Brown

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup silvered almonds
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut shreds
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, cashews, coconut shreds, and brown sugar.  

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil and salt.  Combine both mixtures, and then spread out onto two sheet pans. I lined one sheet pan with my silpat, and the other one with aluminum foil).  

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure that the granola is evenly browned.  Remove from the oven and transfer into a large bowl.  Stir in raisins.  

Keep in an airtight container if you won't be eating it right away.  Easier and way cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff at the grocery store! Not to mention tastier too!