Yummy Fall Granola!

Finally! A blog post! I know, I know. Just don't fall off your chair...yep, it's me back with more lavender and life stuff.

Fall is late arriving here in Oklahoma, at least compared to other parts of the country. It's been unseasonably warm and we are finally enjoying cooler temps!  At last! I thought I'd celebrate this overcast, cool day by making my TCL Fall Granola recipe which I mentioned over on the Turkey Creek Lavender Facebook page. Not a follower yet? We'd love it if you'd hop on over there and follow along. I assure you I'm more active on the Facebook page. Really!

Much like the TCL Peace, Love, and Harmony Granola recipe, this one is easily changed by changing the ingredients. Sometimes I use dried blueberries, or dried apples, or add coconut, or use walnuts instead of pecans. Or replace the sorghum with molasses...add a little clove or nutmeg to the cinnamon...well...you get the idea.

As you know by now I make my own granola, and eat it pretty much every morning. So, when the air turns crisp I like to switch out the honey in the recipe for sorghum. And I do love sorghum, especially on hot biscuits with lots of butter. But I digress...Not familiar with sorghum? It's the natural juice extracted from sorghum cane. Molasses is a product of sugar cane. There's a difference, although both are delicious and contain iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, vitamin B-6, and magnesium in various amounts. 

Luckily I had some sorghum in the pantry from Barking Water Sorghum in Wewoka, Oklahoma. (By the way, they have a sorghum festival in Wewoka every year. The Sorghum Festival for this year has already passed, but mark your calendars for October 25, 2014!)

Like all granola recipes, it's an easy one to make. Just make sure you stir every 10 minutes so it doesn't burn. The main reason I started making my own granola is because I didn't like the pasty versions in the store. I like it a little toasty so it has more flavor. I fully understand this is personal taste. 

And naturally this recipe has our culinary lavender in it. Not much, just a teaspoon so you get a little taste every now and again. 

 Turkey Creek Lavender Fall Granola

1/3 cup sorghum

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon culinary lavender

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2-1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Stir together the sorghum, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oats, lavender, apricots and pecans. Mix thoroughly until the oat mixture is coated. Spread out in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until the oats are lightly browned. It usually takes right at 20 minutes in my oven. Cool completely in the pan. Store in an airtight container. (I store mine in a zip-loc bag in the freezer). 

And that's it. Enjoy! Hope you're all having a wonderful fall wherever you are!