Homemade granola

 As requested by Elise, here is my homemade granola recipe. 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 
• 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds
• 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (if you’re using standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I don’t really like dried fruit, so I rarely add it)
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 2-3 Tbsp chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seed. I use a combination of all three. 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
3. Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools. If using coconut flakes, add them halfway through baking. They’ll burn otherwise 😬
5. Let the granola cool completely. Top with the dried fruit (and optional chocolate chips, if using). Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don’t want extra-clumpy granola.