Homemade Granola - In the Crockpot

I so need to get my light box put together!

I have decided that I need to eat healthier. I eat too many snacks with unhealthy, not quite sure what all those ingredients are, too many calories for my own good, stuff in it.  I figured that I could substitute some of those unhealthy snacks with one filled with natural, "I know exactly what is in there," fruit and nuts right in the mix, ingredients. What fits that bill? Homemade granola! 

One additional bonus - there wouldn't be any coconut in there! I cannot stand coconut, the texture makes me cringe. The additional added bonus? It is made in the crockpot so no real heat added to the house in the summer! That is worthy of a "woot woot!!" for sure.

I found this recipe on A Year of Crockpotting and modified it a bit to meet my needs. I haven't had a bad recipe off this site yet so figured this was a safe bet.

The result was absolutely tasty. I plan on eating it instead of chips for a snack and in my yogurt for breakfast. I am sure I will find many other ways to incorporate this tasty treat into my diet.


A couple of notes:   While this is good, I think next time I will be toasting some of the nuts and seeds. I will also be upping the honey and cutting back a bit on the butter.

Homemade Granola - In the Crockpot
Modified from A Year of Crockpotting
 
Ingredients

• 5 cups oats (I made separate batches with quick cook and rolled/old-fashioned, both turned out tasty)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)

Directions

• Place all the ingredients into a large quart crockpot.
• Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium bowl.
• Mix melted butter and honey together
• Add butter and honey mixture to dry ingredients, tossing well to mix completely. This takes some work.
• Cover, but vent with a wooden spoon. The venting is important, you want to allow the heat to escape so you don't end up with a warm, wet concoction.
• Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. Stirring this frequently is key since the granola will burn more quickly than you think. I set a timer so I wouldn't forget.
• Once cooked, place granola mixture on a cookie sheet and let cool.
• Seal well in an air-tight container or Ziplock.