2 cups oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup crushed nuts (I use almonds that I crush in a baggie with a hammer)
2/3 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz dried fruit or chocolate chips
Mix nuts, oats, wheat germ and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast in oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes, stirring every couple minutes so that they don’t burn.
Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11×13) for your granola by lining it with parchment paper lightly sprayed with nonstick spray.
Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla and salt into saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Once it bubbles up nicely I take it off, I should really use a candy thermometer to get a good sense of where it is, but I can just tell my looking.
Take oats out of oven and pour the liquid ingredients over the grain mix. Mix very well so the syrup completely coats the grains. Dump granola mix into the prepared dish. Spread out mixture with a wooded spoon or spatula. Fold over the sides of the parchment paper or add a sheet on top and press hard over granola. Make sure to compact it so the bars won’t fall apart when you cut them. If adding chocolate chips, give the granola a little time to cool at least an hour before adding otherwise they will melt. press the chips into the top using a piece of parchment so you don't get melted chocolate all over you. (Don’t let them cool completely before adding chips, just enough so the chips won’t melt entirely). Mix doesn’t need to cool if just using dried fruit. Wait at least 3 hours until completely cooled then lift parchment paper out of the pan and place on a large cutting board. Firmly press down with a big knife or pastry cutter(do not saw) and cut granola into bars of whatever size you like. Wrap individually. Enjoy! I would assume they would keep at least a couple weeks, but they never last that long here!
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