Google doc version Adopted from DeliciousAsItLooks recipe and Melissa Clark's Granola Cluster Adventure

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (am using Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons canola oil or other light-tasting oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

Wet ingredients

• Make simple syrup by compining salt, sugar, and water in pan/pot, then mixing over medium heat until disolved. In testing: Mixing the water and sugar past desolved until it becomes cloudy (like what happens with actual simple syrup). WATCH IT, DONT BURN IT.
• Then add canola oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Let wet mixture cool.

Make a paste

• With food processor, blend 1 cup oats, and 1/2 cup almonds. Blend until mostly powder.
• In mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients and oat/almond powder. Mix until combined, which should be fairly wet.
• Add remaining 2 cups oats and 1/2 cup almonds, and mix to compine until evenly distributed.

Baking

• Place on baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Bake at 220f for 2 hours.

2023-02

Adding 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract over powers vanilla extract. Making a paste helps make clusters.

Early tasting notes

I'd like it to have a little more flavor, which could be almond extract and maybe more simple syrip (like 1 cup, not 1/2 cup). Would love to make larger crunky balls, but I'm not sure how to do that. (Supposedly, want to press clusters together, then let cool to room temprature before moving off tray) I'd try adding a cookie like flour or nut butter... maybe?