the quest for perfect granola

i'm on a quest to make the best homemade granola. today is my fifth attempt i believe. the last batch was the best i've made but on a whim i added peanuts and in hindsight they didn't belong (back me up maggie and robina?) i've varied the texture from very crunchy to very chewy and further tweaking is in order (as always with my cooking). i got the basic recipe for my granola from one of my oldest friend nicole (*waves*) who is very food savvy. here is my version of her recipe


Granola

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup almonds, sliced or chopped
1/4 cup milled flax seeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1-1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vanilla soy or almond milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process the rolled oats until they are flour-like then mix all of the dry ingredients together. I usually use 1/4 cup dried cherries and/or 1/4 cup raisins but whatever you have on hand is fine. I've even added 1/4 cup of chocolate chunks to this for my sugary toothed husband. Add wet ingredients to mixture and combine well. Spray a small dish (5 X 12) with non stick spray and add mixture, pressing it down well.

If you want to make granola bars, cut them into 12 bars before baking. I just break it up into chunks but I have made bars before and they were nice. Bake 15-20 minutes.

For a chewier version up the honey and milk. other possibilities (1/4 cup each): creamy peanut butter, dried figs, apricots, apples, currents, cranberries, or chocolate chunks.