Homemade Granola Goodness

Granola cereal is a huge favorite at our house. The kids love it with milk or added to yogurt. I think it is a good source of fat for them and fiber to keep things moving along. I have found that buying organic granola cereal or granola made without high fructose corn syrup is often pricey and we go through the boxes very quickly. We recently began making our own granola cereal and granola bars and it is worth the little effort it takes. The kiddies gobble it up but because the recipes makes such a large amount, it is also very cost effective. Homemade granola is also a thoughtful gift to give someone for a birthday, etc. I have combined the best of several recipes to make one that is perfect for our family. One of the fun things about making it yourself is that you can play around with the ingredients to get one custom made for you- "couture cereal".
Here is my recipe:

Granola Cereal
9 cups of rolled oats
1 cups of wheat germ
1 cup of flax seeds
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 cup of sliced almonds (or walnuts)
1/2 cup of sesame seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of butter (or you can substitute 1/2 cup of applesauce for 1/2 cup butter)
3/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of pure maple syrup
1 tsp of vanilla
2 cups of dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper (I use my Pampered Chef bar pan which doesn't need to be lined). In a large bown (a very large bowl) mix the nuts, oats, seeds, cinnamon and salt together. In a sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and add in the applesauce, honey, syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a slow boil. Pour the wet ingrediants over the dry oat mix in the large bowl and stir until well covered. Spread evenly in the 2 pans and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes- stirring halfway through. Also, switch the pans in the oven so they bake evenly. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Cool than add in the cranberries or raisins and store in an airtight container.
Yum!!