This makes a very flavorful granola with only a light sweetness. Mixed with dried or fresh fruit, or as a topping, it is perfect! You can substitute or omit seeds if you don’t have them, but the pecans are the star here so don’t skimp on them! Seasonally, I add pumpkin puree to the oil/sweetener to make Pumpkin Pecan Granola.
INGREDIENTS
4 c rolled oats
1/8 c olive oil
1/8 c coconut oil, melted
1/2 c Liquid Dates (see recipe)
1/8 c maple syrup (use only 100% pure maple syrup!)
2 t vanilla
2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t Himalayan pink salt, or kosher salt
2 c pecan halves or very coarsely chopped pecans (I like to use a mix of pieces and whole)
1 c sprouted raw pumpkin seeds (substitute sunflower seeds or omit)
1/4 c flax seeds
1/4 c chia seeds
1/2 c barberries (optional)
1/2 c unsweetened coconut flakes
METHOD
In small bowl, mix olive oil, coconut oil, date syrup, maple syrup, vanilla, spice, and salt. In larger bowl all remaining dry ingredients. Pour oil mixture over oat mixture and stir until oats are all coated. Spread granola on parchment paper lined sheet pan. Bake at 300 for about 45 min, but you must check it every 10-15 min and gently stir so that it cooks evenly and gets lightly brown. Let cool before eating. If you eat it right away it will taste undercooked, but as it cools it gets crisp. Store in an airtight container, will last about a week. I like to warm it in the oven before serving if it is several days old.
Note: I like loose granola because I use it as a topping, but if you like your granola with clusters, before baking press the granola into clusters on your baking sheet, and try not to break them up as you stir the granola during baking. You can also try tweaking the recipe by increasing the sweeteners to make it a little stickier and clump better.