MJ’s
Favorite 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 to 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 a
third and 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
TRY THIS: whisk one egg white
in a small bowl till frothy. Stir into the granola mixture, distributing
it throughout. THEN spread the granola out on baking sheets. You'll
have some good clusters