Copycat Kimberley's Bakeshoppe Granola

It's official. The high and honorable duty of being the head grocery shopper of the family has been passed down from my dad to me and two of my sisters. The job of shopping for our family of nine had simply become too much for one man. He would often run through Sam's club, fill the cart, pay, load up the car and then go back for a second or even third load. We decided it had to come to an end. My two sisters and I now rip the list into three pieces and each take a cart to different sections of the store, running through the aisles like maniacs racing to be the first one to the checkout.



What have I learned from the experience? Well, other than the fact that it's apparently considered rude to ride your cart through the store like a scooter and plow down anyone in your way, I've learned a lot.

For one thing, it's amazing how if you actually plan your weekly menu in advance and write down all of the ingredients on the grocery list, making dinner is a much more enjoyable experience. I'm usually against all forms of organization on principle, but after the carefully planned meals I've been whipping up this week, I'm thinking it might be time to change my chaotic ways. If only the sun didn't go down so early, I would photograph all these meals for you. Just another reason it's time for summer to get itself over here.

Another thing I've learned from doing all the grocery shopping is that food is ridiculously expensive. Ever since we started shopping, I've become quite a tyrant. For example:

"Hey, why didn't you eat all your apple slices off your plate?", I might ask one of my siblings. 

"It got ketchup on it."

"Well boo hoo! Lick it off!"

I've been eating leftovers off of other peoples plates, crying when I pour people's extra cereal milk down the drain, and guarding the paper towel roll so I can swat anyone who tries to take a big wad. So needless to say, when I was at Sam's Club and saw the price on our favorite Kimberley's Bakeshoppe Granola, I almost died. 

Then I remembered my sister's and my motto, "Anything store bought can be better homemade."

And cheaper.  

So here we are. A few weeks later, I've finally perfected it. Yes, it is crunchy, chewy, and clumpy like the real thing and totally jam packed with seeds, nuts, and fruit. It is definitely way better than the Sam's Club version though, so our motto stands true.

This granola is great with milk, yogurt, or ice cream, baked into cookies or pancakes, or just eaten by the handful. Enjoy.

This recipe can be gluten free! Check out my gluten free blog here.

• Copycat Kimberley's Bakeshoppe Granola 
• 
  
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I used GF Rolled Oats)
• 1/2 cup flour (I actually used Rice Flour which is what Kimberley uses, but all-purpose flour should be fine)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins and cranberries)
• 1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, cashews, and almonds)
• 1/2 cup seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, and flax)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 300ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Mix together all of the ingredients. You can use any kinds of seeds, nuts, and fruits you want, but in parentheses are the ingredients in the real Kimberley's granola which are what I used. I mix them right on the pan so I don't have to dirty a dish. Squeeze it with your fingers until clumpy and arrange in a rough circle in the middle of the pan. 
• Bake for 35 minutes or until slightly browned. Once cool, break into pieces and store in an airtight container. 

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