Granola

My husband loves granola.  He eats it as a cereal and loves it on yogurt.  The only problem is that granola can be really expensive.  I found a recipe for granola bread in Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day that called for homemade granola, so I decided to make my own granola.  It was easy, inexpensive, and my husband loves it.  It makes about 6 cups, so make sure you have a big jar to store it in.  You can experiment with the nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in this recipe.  The proportions are perfect in this recipe, so I usually don't change the amount of nuts, seeds, or dried fruit I use.  I have made it with both almonds and pecans, but I think the pecans are the best.  I love how they taste coated in honey and maple syrup! I would love to make one with pecans and only use dried cherries for the fruit, but dried cherries are pretty expensive.  This recipe uses a dried berry mix that has cherries, blueberries, and cranberries in it.

Granola
Adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)
1/3 cup coconut oil, softened (if you do not have coconut oil, use canola oil instead)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried berry mix, chopped (I use cherries, blueberries, and cranberries)

1) Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a high-sided cookie sheet or a lasagna pan with parchment paper.
2) Mix honey, maple syrup, oil, water, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt in a large measuring cup.
3) In a large bowl, combine the liquid mixture with the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit, and mix until everything is coated with the honey mixture.  Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is golden brown. 
4) After baking is complete, add the dried fruit.
5) Allow to cool, store in jars.