Homemade Granola

Here is my dinner tonight - homemade granola. Yummy. My first night home from vacation after a 10-hour work day, I just want a bowl of granola for dinner. No more fancy dinners, vacation is over. But this granola is a treat. My sister brought me this batch of granola she made from a recipe of Molly Wizenberg who is a food writer in Seattle, runs a restaurant called Delancey, and has the award winning blog, Orangette.  Check it out. Looking for a good homemade granola recipe? Here it is. It's good enough to eat for dinner.


Makes 7 cups


3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
1 cup  unsweetened coconut chips (not flakes)
1-1/4 cups raw pecans, whole and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade B
1/2 cup olive oil
dried cherries, optional  (My sister used dried blueberries which I love)


1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.


2.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut chips, pecans, light brown sugar, and salt.  Stir to mix.  Add the olive oil and maple syrup, and stir until well combined.  Spread the mixture in an even layer on the prepared sheet pan.  Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is golden brown and toasted, about 45 minutes.  Remove the granola from the oven, and season with more salt to taste.   Cool completely on a wire rack.  If you'd like, stir in some dried cherries (or blueberries).  Store in an airtight container.


Note:  Will keep at room temperature for up to a month.