Cookbook

Dry ingredients:

• 2 + 2/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
• Scant T coarse or kosher salt

Liquid ingredients:

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup honey (not crystallized)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Add liquid ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread on a large sheet pan with low sides. Bake at 300˚ for 40 minutes, stirring once after 20 minutes. The granola is done when it’s slightly golden in color. Allow to cool, then store in tightly sealed container (or what’s left after you finish nibbling).

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Notes from Mimi:

You can use roasted almonds, but there’s no need to, as they will get roasted here. But if it’s all you have, it will work. The original recipe called for pistachios, but they’ve gotten mighty expensive. I’ve made it with pecans, too. But I think almonds are the best.

Coconut flakes: I like unsweetened coconut flakes from Bob’s Red Mill. There are also coconut flakes made by Dang, but they’re much more expensive and (I think) sweetened.

For the liquid ingredients, I first measure the oil in a 1/3 cup measure (use whatever you have). Then I pour it off into a glass jar (like a pint mason jar) and measure the syrup and the honey in the same measure. I measure the oil first, because it coats the measuring cup so the syrup and honey pour off completely and you don’t lose any. Then I heat the mixture of the 3 liquids for a few seconds in the microwave. This helps them spread throughout the oats more easily. Also, I don’t use a full 1/3 measure of the sweeteners, more like between 1/4 and 1/3 of a cup – it’s plenty sweet.

The original recipe also calls for adding a cup of dried sweetened cherries after the cooked granola has cooled. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. Raisins work fine too, added when served.