Cranberry Almond Granola

When Kate was three, we joined a parent/child class.  The parents would meet in one room while the children got to play together in another room.  We parents decided to take turns bringing snacks and one mom brought granola when it was her turn.  That's it - just a bag of granola.  Okay, so it was homemade.  And, there was nothing else so...I tried some.  It was SO good, just by itself.  I got the recipe from her and have been keeping our cupboard stocked with it ever since.  We eat it plain or with yogurt or as a cereal with milk.  I made a few changes when she first gave me the recipe and, now, don't remember what modifications are mine and what was the original but here it is as I make it now:

CRANBERRY ALMOND GRANOLA

Cooking Oil Spray

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 cups otmeal

2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup coconut

2 cups dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray two 11x17 jellyroll pans with cooking oil spray.  Set aside.  In a 1 quart icrowave-safe bowl, combine oil, maple syrup and brown sugar.  Microwave, uncovered, at high for 3 minutes or until sugar starts to melt.  Remove from icrowave and whisk until any lumps disappear.

In a large 3 quart or larger bowl, combine the oats, almonds, wheat germ and coconut.  Toss to mix well.  Pour the syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well-mixed.  Spread evenly in jellroll pans.

Place a pan on each oven rack and bake for 10 minutes.  Stir the granola and return to the oven, rotating the pans, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Cool granola in the pans for 1 hour or until reaches room temperature.  Sprinkle half of the cranberries over each pan.  Stir to mix well.  Store in airtight container up to 2 weeks. (I've found mine to keep much longer.)