INGREDIENTS:
| ¼ cup | Real Maple Syrup |
| ¼ cup | Honey or Any Other Liquid Sweetener, including up to half molasses |
| ¼ cup | Butter or Unrefined Coconut Oil, or mixture of both |
| 1½ tsp | Vanilla |
| 2 cup | Almonds |
| 2 cup | Other Nuts, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans or combination |
| 1 cup | Pumpkin or Sunflower Seeds |
| 2 cup | Shredded Coconut or Coconut "chips" |
| ⅓ cup | Sesame Seeds, optional |
| 1 tsp | Cinnamon |
| ½ tsp | Cardamom |
| 1 cup | Dried Fruit, optional |
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DIRECTIONS:
In a small pot, melt the fat and sweeteners together over low to medium heat until
the mixture is completely liquified, stirring as needed. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Meanwhile, food process the nuts briefly or chop with a knife so that they're the size you want, which can be quite small but not finely ground.
In a large bowl, mix the chopped nuts with the seeds, coconut, optional sesame seeds, cinnamon and cardamom. Pour the liquid mixture over the top and stir well.
To bake in an oven: Spread the granola in a thin layer on a large cookie sheet. Removal for storage is easiest if you use a silicone mat liner or parchment paper.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15-20 minutes. Check and stir after the first 8 minutes and every 3-5 minutes after that. The granola is done when things are starting to feel dried out and are barely browning. Watch the edges for overbrowning; you may need to remove some from the outside if it browns too fast. Some find that after the first 10 minutes, turning the oven down to 250 and increasing the bake time ensures that nothing burns.
In a dehydrator: Spread evenly on dehydrator sheets, using fine mesh, flat plastic or parchment paper to prevent the shredded coconut, sesame seeds, etc. from falling through. Dehydrate at 145F until fairly crispy, usually about 12-24 hours.
Stir in optional dried fruit after toasting.
Cool partway and package in airtight containers while still slightly warm. The granola will crisp up and stick together more and more while it cools. If you let it cool completely, you just might have the biggest granola bar you've ever seen.
Serve dry or with milk or yogurt.
HELPFUL TIPS:
* Store at room temperature unless you chose walnuts, because their more delicate fats require refrigeration or freezing unless your granola is consumed within a week. * I prefer the dehydrator method because there's no chance of burning the nuts. * I use soaked and dehydrated nuts and seeds for this recipe to improve digestion ("crispy nuts"). I think they taste better too! Going gluten-free or grain-free can be a huge challenge, especially when feeling rushed at breakfast-time. With breaths of cardamom and cinnamon, natural sweeteners, healthy fats and the satisfying crunch of crispy nuts tempered by coconut chips, you'll never pine for boxed cereal again.
