Coconut Granola

This has become a morning staple at our house. It is SO good and so versatile - you can sprinkle it on top of your favorite yogurt, add it to these pancakes, or just eat a bowl of it topped with your favorite fruit (dried or fresh) and milk (cow's, almond, soy). But where this really shines is at about 8:30 at night when you are really hankering for something sweet. A small bowl of this topped with vanilla almond milk...it's the stuff my dreams are made of. 

I like that you can twist this recipe to fit your tastes. Try different combinations of nuts or replace the canola oil with coconut oil. Maybe add a little cinnamon and nutmeg? Whatever you think will taste good or whatever you have in your cupboards.

Recipe from my dear friend, Becca

Makes 12 cups of granola

6 cups rolled oats (I just use Old Fashioned Oats)

4 cups of nuts, chopped (I like a combination of almond, cashews and sunflower seeds)

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil or coconut oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees and line 2 full-size baking sheets with parchment paper. If you don't have full-size sheets, I would recommend halving the recipe and using two half-size sheets instead. 

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and coconut, and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, maple syrup, oil and salt. Pour over the oat mixture and mix with a big wooden spoon until everything is evenly coated with the wet ingredients. 

Spread evenly onto prepared cookie sheets - the granola should not be thicker than 1/2 of an inch or it won't crisp in the oven. 

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the granola starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely on the the baking sheets before breaking it up and storing in an airtight container or zip-top bag. 

Enjoy! Let me know what you think when you've made it and what combination of nuts/oil you used!