Crunchy Granola

After much trial and error I have finally stumbled upon a way to make really crunchy granola! The below recipe is simply a suggestion – feel free to substitute whatever nuts and dried fruit you may have on hand if you like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups thick-cut rolled oats (regular will work fine as well)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup whole flaxseed
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash cinnamon
• dried cranberries for garnish

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut, flaxseed, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together maple syrup and oil and stir into oat mixture. Spread evenly in a lightly greased baking dish (I used a 9 x 13 casserole dish), and bake, uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring after 20 minutes.

Stir again and turn off the oven. Place baking dish of granola back into the cooling oven and leave for 6-8 hours or overnight.* Take cooled, dried granola out of the oven and place into an airtight container. Garnish with dried cranberries before serving. Enjoy with soy milk or sprinkle over soy yogurt for a delicious treat!

* This is the most crucial step in making a truly crunchy granola! I’ve omitted this step and instead allowed granola to cool on the countertop, and the granola always turned out slightly chewy instead of crunchy. I recommend making granola in the evening and leaving it in the cooled oven overnight, and then it will be ready to eat for breakfast in the morning! Don’t worry that the oven is still hot when you put the granola back in for cooling/drying…the warm dry temperature will continue to cook the granola slightly and help it to harden, but it won’t burn.