I often make granola for myself, though I don’t post the recipe, because it is mostly the same — swap out the nuts, swap out the dried fruit, but there is usually maple syrup and of course oats and sunflower seeds. This time I made Maple Pecan and Cranberry Granola. not too sweet, a little tart and definitely delicious. I mostly eat my granola with yogurt (blatant product endorsement: Cabot Whole Milk Vanilla Greek Yogurt is excellent), but would also be great with milk for breakfast or ice cream for dessert.
Yum yum.
Ingredients
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds, shelled, of course
2 cups raw pecans, chopped coarsely
2 cups dried cranberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 325F. Line rimmed baking sheet with tin foil for easier cleanup (also makes it easier to get out of the pan later).
Whisk maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Fold in oats, sunflower seeds and pecans until thoroughly coated.
Transfer oat mixture to prepared baking sheet and spread across sheet into thin, even layer. Using stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact … I mean, really press it down (you can also use the bottom of a glass). Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking. Remove granola from oven and cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 1 hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Gently stir in cranberries. (I used my hands to be really gentle).
Serve with milk, yogurt, over ice cream or just out of your hand as a snack.
