I like to switch it up too, depending on what mood I'm in. I get bored with the same old thing. I switch sweeteners, from brown sugar to honey to molasses to maple syrup.
I use extracts including vanilla, almond, peach, orange, lemon, raspberry, etc., to complement the dried fruits I'm using. Every once in a while, I throw in a little homemade jelly or jam for an extra flavor punch.
For spices, I probably do use cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger the most, but also use cloves, cardamom, allspice, and anything else that strikes my fancy, lol!
I vary the nuts, using pecans, walnuts and almonds mostly, but sometimes hazlenuts, black walnuts or hickory nuts. I also use peanut butter sometimes.
For dried fruits, I use apples, peaches, cranberries, cherries, pears, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, figs, dates, and bananas.
Sometimes, I use coconut, sometimes plain, sometimes toasted.
I might use oatmeal, barley flakes, buckwheat flakes, puffed rice, flax seeds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
I do one I call "apple pie granola". It has oatmeal, wheat germ, pecans, dried apples, raisins, brown sugar, a little oil, and apple pie spice (I make my own from cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice).
Another one is "peach melba cobbler granola". It has oatmeal, barley flakes, dried peaches, dried raspberries, almonds, honey, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
A really popular one is "carrot cake granola". It has oatmeal, puffed rice, grated carrots, coconut, raisins, walnuts, applesauce, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and molasses.
Can you tell I love granola?? lol I don't have real recipes, just throw together whatever sounds good, maybe add a little bit of oil to help hold it together if needed and bake it. Sorry, I could go on all day!
