Even with a dozen choices for granola combinations at the health food store, I can never find exactly what I want. So I found a recipe and tweaked it over time. It’s ridiculously easy, and you can tailor this recipe to include exactly what you want too. I don’t add wheat bran or dried fruit or any other flavorings because I happen to like this particular combination. But you can add or subtract what you like.
6 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup pecan halves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. in a large bowl, mix oats, sunflower seeds, and coconut together. In a separate bowl, mix maple syrup, molasses, water and vanilla. (It’s important to mix the molasses with the other liquids in order to avoid globs of molasses in the finished product.) Add this mixture and the olive oil to the oats and stir well. Spread on two 10×15″ pans that have been lined with parchment paper and place on 2 shelves in your oven. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Halfway through baking, stir the granola once with a large spoon and move the bottom pan to the top shelf and vice versa. After baking, turn off the heat, spread almonds and pecans (or any nuts you want) over the top, close the oven door, and let the granola dry out for 8 hours, or overnight.
On using Olive Oil: Many cookbooks recommend using “flavorless” oil. Eek, what is that? And don’t even think about using canola oil. Do you know what canola oil is? It’s short for Canada oil, and it’s actually rapeseed oil heated to 300 degrees to take out the disgusting smell. Use extra virgin olive oil. Your arteries will thank you.