the new granola

About a year ago, I put up my granola recipe for everyone to see. Honestly, that recipe was part of the reason that I started this blog, so that I could stop writing it down on the backs of dirty napkins and old shopping lists for people who NEEDED it. People feel passionate about breakfast, and I totally understand that.

But I have to tell you something.

I make granola every week. And like any recipe that lives in my kitchen with that much frequency, it's changed a little bit. I think it's better. And a little bit simpler, if that could even be possible. So, for those of you that make the old granola, don't worry- you don't have to change it if you don't want to. But this is the new evolved granola, dairy free (and cheaper), and a little bit drier.
So there you have it.

A word on storage. This recipe makes a lot of granola. We eat it all in a week or maybe a week and a half. We eat it for breakfast, we eat it for dessert, and Joey grabs panicked handfuls of it when he gets home from work and gets the news that dinner is not ready right now.
Granola will keep in a jar for 2-3 weeks. I suggest making it in this huge quantity because it's just as easy to make a lot as it is to make a little. But if it's too much for you, fill a few ziplock bags and throw them in the freezer. Then take them out as you need them.


The New Granola

8 1/2 cups rolled oats (2 lbs)
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups sliced almonds (you can also use blanched almonds or coarsely chop them yourself, depending on your preference)
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup maple syrup (reduce t0 3/4 cup if you don't want it sweet)
1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Combine all of the dry ingredients in your largest bowl. Stir stir stir.

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large measuring cup or small bowl. Make sure that they become a nice, uniform syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Stir stir stir until everything is coated and there are no hidden pockets of syrup or dry oats in your bowl.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the granola in an even layer on each tray.

Go check to make sure that your oven is preheated. The trays should both be in the upper 2/3 of the oven.

Put the granola into the oven. Set your timer for 30 minutes. Clean up the kitchen. When the timer beeps, shuffle the granola around a bit, and switch the trays. Set the timer again for 30 minutes. Go off and do something else. When the timer beeps, again shuffle and switch. Set timer one last time for 30 minutes. This time, do something really lovely for yourself. After all, you've just made your own granola. When the timer beeps (it's been in there for an hour and a half, just so we can be clear), turn the oven off. Leave the granola in the oven! Leave it in there for up to six hours, depending on your day. It will harden and crisp up as the oven cools. If you must have raisins or other dried fruit in your granola, add it each time you eat it. That way the raisins won't get hard. Store in an airtight jar.