My "No Recipe" Granola Recipe

Granola is one of those things that I always throw together based upon what I have in my pantry. It’s the perfect pantry project to use up all the odds and ends of almost empty bags and packages that’s oddly satisfying. I don’t really use a specific recipe but use more of a ratio. I sometimes only use one variety of dried fruit and one variety of nut and sometimes I use a combination of what I have to make up the total quantity needed. 

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats (I also throw in the last bit of any stale granola that I might still have lying around from last time)

2 cups chopped dried fruit (cherries, raisins, apricots, fig, mango, really anything!)

1 ½ cup shredded coconut (you can omit the coconut and add another cup of chopped dried fruit to the previous 2 cups)

3 cups nuts, almonds or walnuts (roughly chopped if whole) but you can also use sliced or slivered almonds, cashew pieces and pistachios

½ cup vegetable or coconut oil

½ cup honey or maple syrup

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon or a combination of cinnamon and cardamom

½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Toss the oats, nuts and chopped dried fruit together in a large bowl. In another smaller bowl mix together oil, honey and the ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour the oil and honey over the oat mixture. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and stir with a wooden spoon (or toss with clean hands) until all the oats and nuts are coated with the liquids. Pour onto a sheet pan. Bake, stirring once halfway through with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown about 25-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it because it can go from toasted to burned very quickly.

Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.