The Perfect Granola

There is nothing quite as marvelous as something exceeding your expectations. The absolute jolt of joy you get when you are hoping beyond reason that the experience you are looking for is exactly what you want it to be is unmatched. I am not ashamed to admit that I get this feeling when even the smallest, most insignificant things surprise me with their absolute perfection and glory. It just so happens that one of these moments became the origin of our perfect granola. It all started when we found ourselves wandering through a grocery store looking for our latest recipe ingredients when I spotted a container of granola. I find most store-bought granola to be abysmally sad. It is just overly processed, dry, and flavorless. So when I spotted this container of granola I was almost aghast. It looked crunchy, chewy, and full of flavors and textures. Despite my generally dubious feelings toward this store bought faire we brought a container home and hoped for the best. I have to admit it was tremendous. The mix of flavors, add-ins, and textures was just perfection.

            I became insistent that this granola should be a staple in my pantry and was determined to make it at home. After a few trials, what we have come up with is the simplest and most satisfying granola recipe we could devise. It will be your new favorite breakfast with yogurt and jam, afternoon snack with coffee, or dessert sprinkled over ice cream. This recipe can be easily adjusted to fit your preferences including additions or omissions of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and flavors such as including dried apricots instead of raisins, substituting walnuts for almonds, or adding a touch of cinnamon for a warming fall flavor. We also like to have a variety of textures in our granola. To accomplish this mix of chewy and crunchy, the granola has to be mixed in increments throughout the cooking and then pressed back in the pan into a single layer. This will produce the most satisfying mix of granola pieces. If you want a crunchier granola, we suggest separating the mix onto two sheets and following the cooking instructions below. Either way we promise, make this granola and it will become a staple in your pantry too.

Ingredients

4 Cups Rolled Oats

1 Cup Raw Almonds

1 Cup Dried Cranberries

1 Cup Raisins

½ Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds

¼ Cup Whole Flax Seeds

¾ Cup Honey

¾ Cup Brown Sugar

2/3 Cup Flavorless Oil such as Grapeseed or Avocado Oil

¾ tsp Salt

Directions

1.      Preheat your oven to 350 degrees f. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Take your time, to incorporate the ingredients fully. Pour the granola mix onto the prepared sheet pan and spread into a layer. Bake the granola in 10 minute increments mixing the granola each time and pressing it back into the pan. Bake until the granola is lightly browned approximately 30-40 minutes. It will harden up as it sets. Let cool completely and then break into pieces. Store in a cool dry place in a sealed container.