Homemade granola is easy, it tastes better than the boxed stuff and it's less expensive.

Actually, the cost may be the single biggest reason to try doing this yourself. A 23.4-ounce box of a name-brand "natural" low-fat granola with raisins costs around $7.

That's about 70 cents a serving. Homemade granola works out to about half that cost per serving, even accounting for premium ingredients such as pure maple syrup, pecans, California apricots and dried tart cherries - none of which you'll find in the name-brand granola.

What's more, your homemade version will be missing certain things you don't want or don't want too much of, such as glycerin, inulin (a type of fiber found in some plants, which can cause intestinal discomfort if too much is eaten in one sitting), whey protein concentrate, soy lecithin, "natural flavor" and natural mixed tocopherols, a commercial preservative.

Some commercial granolas also contain trans fats, which make them little more than junk food.

The recipe here isn't low in calories, and it should be consumed moderately - I like to sprinkle some on plain, nonfat Greek yogurt or on plain cereal such as cornflakes to boost the flavor - but at least you can be confident that what you are eating is all real food, with none of it concocted in a laboratory.

Critical steps: Make sure to add the dried fruit after the mixture has come out of the oven and cooled completely. If you add the fruit before the granola goes into the oven, the syrup will coat the fruit pieces and harden them to a stone-like texture as the mixture bakes. Yuck.

Store granola in airtight containers, preferably in the fridge, and consume within 10 days.

Comparison to its commercial counterpart: Tastier. Less expensive.

Is it worth it? Yes.

Other notes: Use any combination of nuts, seeds and dried fruits you like, just make sure the amounts equal 2 cups nuts and seeds and 2 cups dried fruit.

I prefer the sliced, unpeeled almonds over slivered or the sliced and peeled because I think they look more attractive in the cooked mixture. But use whichever kind you like.

Cook's tips: I keep several packages of dried fruit, nuts and seeds, such as raw pumpkin and raw sunflower seeds, in my freezer for making granola whenever I feel like it. I enjoy experimenting with different combinations. Dried pineapple, coconut, banana chips and papaya, with chopped macadamia nuts, make a delicious tropical granola.

You can package homemade granola in decorative bottles or boxes for a fun, tasty gift.

This recipe is adapted from "The Gourmet Cookbook" (2004, Houghton Mifflin).

Fruit and Nut Granola

Makes 10 cups

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sliced almonds or any mixture of chopped, raw nuts and seeds to equal 2 cups (see note)

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup vegetable oil

¾ cup maple syrup (see note)

2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chopped California apricots or any combination of chopped dried fruit to equal 2 cups (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven racks in top and center slots. Line two 15-by-11-inch jellyroll pans with parchment.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, salt, oil, syrup and vanilla and stir until everything is well coated.

Turn out mixture onto prepared pans, spreading out in a thin layer.

Place pans in preheated oven and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, clean out mixing bowl for use later.

Remove pans from oven, stir granola mixture and spread out again, then switch the pans' positions in the oven for even cooking. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden. Watch edges to prevent overbrowning.

Remove and let cool in pans on rack.

When cool, return mixture to cleaned-out mixing bowl and stir in dried fruit.

Notes: I used a nut combination of almonds, pecans and walnuts. For dried fruit, I used apricots, papaya and tart cherries.

Ordinary pancake syrup could be substituted for maple syrup; look for a brand that is not too thick.

DIY Kitchen explores the making from scratch of food products normally purchased at the store. Send your suggestions for future DIY Kitchen topics to food editor Nancy Stohs at nstohs@journalsentinel.com.