The thing I love about this granola recipe is that it has the perfect blend of sweetness and crunchiness. It's sweet, but not too sweet and it's hard but not too hard--because the instant you bite into it it crumbles with ease and then just melts in your mouth. It's hard to stop munching on it once you've started. I've made this granola so many times...we always have a big bin of it laying around. . .even Max will eat it (which means, you know it's gotta be good.) I've tried to make it a fail proof recipe --it's very simple and fast to make.
Inspiration from the Blakesley family.
1 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds and pecans (about 1 cup each whole)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 cup shredded coconut
7 cups quick oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup coconut oil (vegetable or canola oil will work as well)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Pulse nuts in a food processor or blender until fine (about the consistency of coarse bread crumbs). In a large bowl mix oats, flaxseed, nuts, cinnamon, coconut and salt.
In a medium saucepan combine oil, honey and sugar. Bring to a frothy boil and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Immediately pour over oat mixture and combine well. With cooking spray, lightly grease two cookie sheets. Evenly spread mixture onto both trays. (If your oven is not big enough, cook one tray at a time.) Just before baking, spritz with about 3 squirts of water from a water bottle (or flick a little water on with your fingers). Bake for 20 - 22 minutes. Let sit for about 20 minutes. With a metal spatula, lift (scrape) from pan. Crumble/break the larger pieces into bite size pieces. Cool completely before eating (even though it will be impossible not to!) Store in air tight container. (I usually let my granola sit out for several hours before I store it away.)
Chop up nuts in a food processor or blender to this consistency.
Flaxseed meal can be found generally in the health food section of your grocery store or any health food market. If you want to read more on flaxseed, check out this article HERE from Wholefoods.com.
