Basic Maple Granola With Add-Ins 1/12/15

Basic Maple Granola with Add-Ins
Makes about 5 cups, so yeah that's a decent amount of granola

Time to throw away your store bought granola and try this puppy out. You'll thank me later not only because it tastes a million times better but also isn't 99% sugar. The neat thing about this recipe is that you can alter it and add in whatever you like, dried fruits, nuts, you name it. Can't go wrong with a good granola plus this makes your kitchen smell like fresh baked goods probably one of the best scents.

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans*
1/2 cup chopped almonds*
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries (OPTIONAL, I didn't sure any dried fruits)

*For this part you can add whatever kind of nuts/seeds you want, sunflower, walnuts, candied pecans. You decide what goes in your granola.

ONE: Heat over to 300F. Get your baking sheet ready and spray it with some non stick or line it with parchment paper.

TWO: Mix together the oats, seeds, and nuts in a large bowl.

THREE: In a medium glass, stir together the maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. Pour this all over the oat mixture and stir that shit around until everything is coated (see picture #1 below). Add the cinnamon and salt and stir.

FOUR: Pour all of this evenly over the baking sheet and stick it in the over for 35 minutes. Stir it every 10 minutes so that it cooks evenly. You'll know it's done when everything looks kinda toasted. Stir in the dried fruit if you want to use any. Let that all cool on the baking sheet and then store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Song for the Recipe: Someone New by Hozier
A nice jingle while you're sprinkling that granola in your parfait in the morning.

Until next time.

Meg.