- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup crushed nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, peanuts)
- 1/2 cup seeds (chia, flax, pumpkin)
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, craisins, figs, dates)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cacao
- pinch of mineral salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey, maple syrup, agave (liquid sweetener)
- 1/2 cup coconut or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Prep: Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, seeds, and spices. Do not yet add the dried fruit!
Wet ingredients: Warm your water, oil and liquid sweetener, combine with vanilla extract.
Mix wet & dry: Combine the wet ingredients with the oat mixture. Toss and mix to coat well.
Layer: Spread mixture evenly on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet. You can either lightly compact the mixture on one sheet or loosely spread it out a bit if using two for crunchier result. If compacting, you’ll want to mix the granola when rotating after 30 minutes.
Bake: Bake for 30 minutes. Turn and rotate sheet/sheets, bake an additional 25 – 30 minutes, adding in the dried nuts for the last 10 minutes. Keep an eye towards the end so it doesn’t over brown (ovens run differently), cover with foil if it starts to brown too much.
Let cool: Remove from oven, granola will be somewhat soft at first. Let cool for 30 minutes, break up into chunks, especially the center part if you’ve compacted the mixture. Let granola cool completely to harden.
Makes about 6 cups.
Store: Let cool completely, store on the counter in covered containers for up to 2 months.
