Summer Snacks on the Go with Homemade Granola

Granola is a healthier sweet option as compared to its cookie or cake counterparts, and once you make a batch, you see how simple it is to make as well.  The good thing about homemade granola is that you can customize it to suit your preferences.  In this recipe, orange and peanut butter combine with granola and flax seeds to produce a great on-the-go snack for summer road trips or hiking adventures.  Granola can be snacked on as-is, sprinkled over fresh fruits, or even ice cream or frozen yogurt as a sweet indulgence!

Orange and Peanut Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Rolled Oats
• 1 cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
• ½ cup Wheat Bran
• 1 cup Flax Seeds
• 2 cups Dried Cranberries
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Orange, Zest and Juice
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Peanut Oil or any other Flavorless Vegetable Oil
• 2 cups Honey

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk together until combined.  Mix the wet and the dry ingredients together and mix with a spatula until everything is coated.  Spread the granola mixture over two parchment lined sheet pans, making sure everything is in a single layer.  Place in the oven and allow to dry out for approximately an hour.  Cooking times may vary due to different ovens, but you just want to dry it out until the oats are crispy and no longer chewy.  I even turned the ovens off and left the granola in the oven overnight to cool and it worked perfectly.  The granola can be kept in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.