A year ago, a good friend of mine gave me (Jessica) a huge jar of homemade granola for my birthday from a recipe off of Molly Wizenberg's blog, Orangette. Since then, it's the only granola Meghan and I (of course it was our morning & afternoon snack for a few days) want to eat and I've made the the recipe too many times to count. In preparation for little bird's arrival (the unofficial, official due date is today!), I spent Sunday making what feels like a month's supply to use as tasty, healthy toppings in protein packed yogurts mixed with chia seeds during the first few weeks of motherhood.
Here's how to make our favorite version of this granola adapted from Early Bird's granola:
preheat oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups whole grain oats
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips or flakes
¾ cup raw pecans chopped
¾ cup raw almonds chopped
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
¾ cup maple syrup, preferably Grade A
½ cup olive oil
Dried cherries, cranberries, blueberries (sulfur-free)
Instructions: Combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, almonds, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Add in the olive oil and maple syrup, mix and spread evenly over the baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and lightly toasted, stirring every 10-15 minutes (takes approximately 40-45 minutes total). Cool completely and add in dried fruit. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
