This recipe is quick to throw together and delicious to eat. Be careful though...it's addictive!
Yield: 6-8 cups (1/2 cup per serving)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Parchment
Non-stick spray
1/3c maple syrup
1/3c honey
1/3c coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
2c old fashioned rolled oats
1/2c pumpkin seeds
1/4c sunflower seeds
1/2c walnuts, chopped
1/2c pecans, chopped
1/2c dried fruit
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper, lightly spray with a neutral cooking spray, and set aside.
2 In a small sauce pan, combine syrup, honey, coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon. Over medium heat, gently stir until coconut oil is melted and all ingredients are combined. Do not simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
3 In a large bowl add your oats, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit. Toss to combine. Slowly add the syrup mixture to the bowl while tossing to coat.
4 Once all the dry ingredients are completely coated, pour onto prepared sheet pan and press down with a spatula so that it is even thickness.
5 Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees (for even cooking front and back) and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
6 Place sheet pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes. While still warm, carefully remove the granola and parchment from sheet pan. Keep granola on parchment and put away sheet pan. If making bars, use a sharp knife to cut into desired shape. Carefully put granola and parchment back onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, gently separate the bars or break into clusters. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (it won't last that long though).
Notes
Make this your own by adding whatever seeds, nuts, and dried fruit that you want. Make sure that your bigger nuts and fruits are chopped up. I like to put the nuts in a zip top bag and smash them to bits with a wooden spoon or my measuring cup.
You can make this vegan by doubling the maple syrup and omitting the honey. You can also make this gluten free by using gluten free rolled oats.
Any seeds or nuts uses should be raw. If using roasted, make sure they are dry roasted and unsalted.
Clusters can be as big or small as you want. Same with the bars. When cutting bars, you really just need a gentle press with the knife. The granola will still be soft and pliable and you want to make sure you don't cut through the paper since you'll continue to cool the granola on the parchment.
Overall yield and bake time will vary depending on the ingredients you use. I even cut my oven off after I liked the golden color and let it sit in the oven for about 5 minutes.
This is great all by itself but add a little milk to your clusters or use it to top your yogurt and you have a nice little breakfast!
As always, if you make this recipe I would love to hear your feedback, how you made it your own, and if you share it on social media don't forget to tag me @Myranda.McCaffreyNowak on IG and FB!
