Granola smells delicious.

Today I made granola and I need to bottle the smell and save it for a bad day. You can't be upset when your house is warm and smells like honey and cinnamon. I suppose some people would prefer cookies or pies or something like that but my "go to your happy place" smell is absolutely granola. My favorite recipe is posted here. She has lots of lovely pictures (I'm still such a novice) I thought it would be better if I just posted tips and tricks I've picked up that have made my granola experiences much more successful.
There are those out there who are not so challenged but for those like me, that learn by trial and error, I'm glad to share my errors in hopes of reducing your trials.

Tip 1: When you are measuring your wet ingredients measure the oil first and then measure the honey in the same container. When you do this the oil makes it so the honey doesn't stick to your measuring cup.

Tip 2: Be careful substituting different types of flour. I've tried using store bought flour and almond flour and they both ended up tasting funny. As a result I use wheat flour that I've grounded myself.

Tip 3: The pan pictured is a half sheet pan. A standard cookie sheet is a quarter sheet pan. So if you use a standard cookie sheet (it must have sides) you'll do twice as many batches as if you used two half sheet pans.

Tip 4: When you stir make sure you mix the edges very well. If you don't they will burn. Also I recommend until you get used to how your oven works with this recipe to keep a close eye the last five minutes to make sure it doesn't burn. At the end it cooks very quickly.

Tip 5: The granola will seem softer when it is done cooking than it is when it cools. It actually gets kind of crisp so don't keep cooking it thinking it isn't done.

Tip 6: After you take it out of the oven for the final time give it a little stir before it cools down. This will ensure that it doesn't cool in big chunks...unless you like that sort of thing and then please disregard this tip.

Tip 7: Let it cool before you add any mix ins. I leave ours as is for Bryan and then add dried fruit and nuts as I see fit when I eat it.

Tip 8: Store in an airtight container after it has cooled completely.

This recipe reminds me of Honey Bunches of Oats. I eat it as cereal and I love it in yogurt. And, of course, nothing beats the smell. Happy granola-ing!