Easy and delicious cranberry orange granola, with golden toasted oats, dried cranberries, flaked almonds, golden raisins and the easiest homemade candied orange peel.
1/2cupwhite granulated sugar, plus more for coating
Granola:
2cupslarge-flake old-fashioned oats
1cupsliced almonds
1/2cuprunny honey, or maple syrup
1Tablespoonbutter, melted
1teaspoonvegetable oil
1/4cupdried cranberries
1/4cupgolden raisins, or any raisin
1/3cupcandied orange peel, sliced into long, thin strips *of see Note 1 below for alternatives
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Instructions
Make Candied Orange Peel: Using a vegetable peeler, carefully peel the sides of the orange into strips, trying to get very little of the white pith part. Place the peels into a saucepan. Add the water and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the peels are soft and translucent, about 15-20 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack and let stand about 10 minutes. Cut into smaller pieces and then roll in additional white granulated sugar to coat. Return to the cooling rack to dry, then remove to an airtight container. Refrigerate for longer storage. *Will make more than you need for one batch of this granola.
Make the Granola: Preheat oven to 300° F. Scatter the oats onto rimmed baking sheet. Place into the preheated oven and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the oats to a bowl and add the almonds. Stir to combine and let cool slightly. Leave oven on at same temperature.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the honey (or maple syrup), melted butter, and vegetable oil in a small bowl. Pour the honey mixture over the oats in the bowl and stir thoroughly to coat. Spray the same baking sheet used to toast the oats with nonstick spray. Spread the honey/oat mixture evenly onto the baking sheet.
Bake granola, stirring every 5 minutes, until the oats are light golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cranberries and raisins and bake for 10 minutes longer. Remove the granola from the oven and let cool slightly. Stir in the candied orange peel. Let cool completely on the baking sheet, then break into pieces. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Note 1: You can omit the candied orange peel and simply add the zest of one orange to the honey and warm slightly. Allow to stand a bit to allow the orange to infuse the honey and before using.The serving size is 1/4 cup of finished granola.