Maple and Nut Granola With Olive Oil

Makes about 7 Cups

3 cups rolled oats 

1 cup hulled, raw sunflower seeds

1 cup hulled, raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup unsweetened coconut chips (flakes)

1 1/4-1 1/2 cups raw pecans, left whole or chopped

3/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

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 1)   Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F

2)  Put the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut flakes, pecans, olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and combine thoroughly.

3)  Spread the granola mixture on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes until the granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.

4)  Remove from oven.  Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.  Keeps for up to one month.

 
NOTES:

You can reduce the sugar or maple if you want, but I wouldn't because the quantity made still doesn't produce an overly sweet granola.

You can alter the recipe to your needs in terms of ingredients.  Different nuts,  Raisins, currants or dried cranberries or cherries.  Chocolate nibs once cooled.

If you cannot find raw nuts, only salted, leave the salt out of the recipe.

I didn't mix this in a bowl, but rather in the roasting pan that I used.

Even at this low temperature, you really have to watch this while baking it.  The first time I made it I used a rimmed cookie sheet (industrial weight from a restaurant supply store) and it was burning at 15 minutes.

The second time I made this, I used a dark roasting pan, which is what I would recommend, but even then, I cooked it for 30 minutes, not 45, and constant watching.  If I ever made it again, I would stop the cooking at 20 minutes, because as you let it rest, it is still cooking from the heat of the pan.  I set the timer at 5, 5, 10, 5, and 5 minutes for a total of 30.  If I make it again, I would stir every five minutes, for a total of 20.  After it is removed from the oven, and still in the pan.  I would stir it once out of the oven, and then every ten minutes or so as it begins to stick.  This stirring after cooking  prevented a messy clean up with the pan.

I used pecan halves.  I think if you chopped them, the quality and taste of the pecan would disappear too much into the mixture.

I used Quaker's Oats in the cardboard canister.

You can find the unsweetened coconut chips-flakes at health food stores, Whole Foods, and sometimes a regular grocery store, but that is the hardest item to locate.  I think if you used sweetened coconut it would be cloying.  It might also have a lower burn point--I don't know.

You can eat this as a breakfast food with milk, but also sprinkle it on yogurt or cottage cheese or use it as a salad topping.  It has good crunch and isn't too sweet.