Recipe: No-Bake Granola

My supermarket has these little spinny recipe card kiosks throughout the produce section and I twiddle through them for ideas. I found this one Saturday when R & I were picking out avocados. They taste like Golden Grahams. Maybe not the healthiest granola on the block (mini marshmallows!?) but very yummy.

1/4 cup butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup crushed cinnamon graham crackers
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seed

1. In large mixing bowl or large ziploc bag, mix together oats, crushed grahams, cranberries, sunflower seeds and flax seed. Set aside.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows; stir continuously until melted and smooth, about 4 minutes.

3. Pour oat mixture into marshmallows and stir until thoroughly combined.

4. With the back of a spoon, press mixture into a greased 8x8 glass baking dish.

5. Set on rack to cool completely.

I won't add the nutritionals. Comment if you want them and I"ll pass them along.

I used unsalted butter, instant rolled oats, regular (not cinnamon) grahams, 1 cup of raisins instead of 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and I omitted the sunflower seeds because mine didn't smell quite right.

I think this recipe lends itself to improvisation, because if I can jump off, anyone can. Mini chocolate chips with the dry ingredients, or maybe carob powder in with the marshmallows. Boost the amount of marshmallows (or not) and go heavier on the dried fruit.