Granola Is Not Just For Hippies

Alright. So my go-to granola recipe is awesome and blows store bought granola out of the water anyday. This granola is made sans oil- creating a less greasy and extra crunchy heavenly delight. And being homemade makes it oh so much better! Granted it is not raw... but like I mentioned before I never intend to be 100% raw and this recipe is part of the reason why.

The original recipe (adapted by Ellie Krieger) goes something like this:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 C pure maple syrup
1/2 C chopped pecans
1/2 C chopped almonds
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C raisins (optional)
1-2 TBS cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together oats, nuts, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add maple syrup and mix until evenly coated. Spread evenly on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 F for 15 minutes. After 15 mins, remove from oven and toss granola around with a spatula. Be sure to 'unstick' the oats that may be stuck to the pan to keep them from burning. Add raisins now if you'd like to cook them a bit. Place back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy. Careful not to let burn!

Here's my take:
1 1/2 - 2 C oats
1/2 C chopped pecan
1/4-1/2 C chopped almond
1/4-1/2 C pure maple syrup
lots of cinnamon
few handfuls of raisins
half handful of shredded coconut
sometimes a pinch of salt

Typically I just throw whatever I have on hand in the mix. My favorites include (I didn't even realize I bought dry roasted almonds until now. whoops! I'm a die-hard raw nut fan).

I leave out the walnuts & sunflower seeds since I prefer the combo of almond, pecan, and maple syrup without the rest. Throw in whatever sounds good to you based on taste preferences.
I throw it on a baking sheet and try not to forget about it in the oven like I tend to when baking/multitasking but it's hard not to because your kitchen will smell AMAZING. Since I usually halve the recipe I take it out between 10 - 15 minutes to add the raisins, throw it back in for 8-10 addt'l minutes.

This morning my batch came out looking like this -tasty- but smelling even better