Here it is, folks. The perfect granola recipe. Believe me - I've been trying for years to find it. For awhile, I was using the granola recipe out of
this book and it's a great recipe. Everyone loved it. But the bad part about granola is the near constant stirring you have to do near a hot stove and with small kids around, well, it's just plain dangerous. And annoying. One day I did a quick search for a no-stir granola recipe and found
this one. It turned out wonderful - with beautiful chunks of granola that you can either crumble or just sit there in their lovely chunkiness. I did a couple of tweaks to her recipe (I use coconut oil, added unsweetened flaked coconut and swapped the orange extract for almond extract) and wallah! We have a winner.
Here is my version of the recipe (I double this and divide between 2 cookie sheets):
- 4 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- ½ cup hulled sunflower seeds
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- a little less than a 1/3 cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ T cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Set the oven to 325. Mix all the dry stuff together in a big bowl. In
a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Stir everything
together very thoroughly - it'll take some time.
Line a baking
sheet with parchment and then pour the granola on top. Press the granola
down firmly into one giant block with wet hands, making sure it's pretty even and
spreading into all the corners. Bake (and don't stir!) for 40-50
minutes, or until brown and still a little soft. Let it cool to room
temp, and it'll harden into giant pieces. Break into chunks as desired.
