This granola is well-loved in our family. Our kid only recently started asking for granola, and being the person I am, I said "There's NO WAY I AM PAYING THAT MUCH MONEY FOR A BAG OF GRANOLA!" I'll stop shouting now, and say instead that I journeyed through the webs to find once again a delicious recipe for it at Cookie and Kate. It is more sweet than I like, but it's not for me, it's for the teenager who will happily eat it. So it gets made and eaten and that's a good thing.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)
  • 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1/2 cup pecans and 1 cup sunflower seeds)
  • 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (if you’re using standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil, I used a combo of both
  • ½ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Totally optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes*

Some folks like dried fruit in their granola, I tend to add mine before serving. I find putting it in the granola while baking makes the flavour of the fruit taste strange, and if I add it near the end it may have too much moisture which will affect the texture and freshness of it.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
  3. Pour in the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla. Mix well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
  4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
  5. Let the granola cool completely, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). Top with the optional chocolate chips and coconut, if using. Break the granola into pieces with your hands if you want to retain big chunks, or stir it around with a spoon if you don’t want extra-clumpy granola.
  6. Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks, or in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Here's some very good advice taken from her site to help make your granola stick to itself and be clumpy and lumpy.

How to get big clumps in your granola:
  • Your oats need to be a little crowded in the pan so they can stick together, but not so crowded that they don’t toast evenly. I recommend using a basic half sheet pan for this granola recipe. It’s the perfect size and the rimmed edges make sure no granola falls overboard.
  • Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper so the sweetener sticks to your oats rather than the pan.
  • For maximum clumps, gently press down on the granola with the back of a spatula after stirring the mixture at the half-way baking point. Then put the pan back into the oven to finish baking.
  • Don’t bake the granola too long—just until it’s lightly golden on top, as described. It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Over-baking the granola seems to break the sugar bonds.
  • Lastly, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up. I’ve even left it on the pan overnight, covered.