“Ya Basic” Pantry-dump Granola

It’s oh-so easy to make the best tasting granola with just a few items that I bet have been lurking in the back of your pantry since Christmas.

For our wedding last June my now husband and I wanted our take-aways to be fun foods we’d made over the time of our engagement. We had jams from fruit we’d picked by hand, vinegars, tinctures, seasoned salts, hot sauces, and several flavors of granola. This recipe is my go-to base granola and also makes a great gift. I change the nuts and seeds or dried fruits depending on what I have in the house and even add chocolate to the mix after it cools. Have fun creating your own favorite flavor combinations. If properly cooked and cooled this granola will last for weeks in your pantry. I love using it as a topping on ice cream or yogurt or eating it like cereal in a bowl of milk.

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Yields: 5-6 cups granola depending on mix-ins

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups oats
• 2 Cups assorted nuts and/or seeds*
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon or spice of your choice
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, canola oil, or ghee, melted
• 1/2 cup honey (or 3/4 cup maple syrup)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• ~1 cup of dried fruit and or chocolate chips

*In the pictured granola I used 1/2 Cup pecans, 1/2 Cup pistachios, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, 2 Tbsp chia seeds, and 2 Tbsp flax meal as my nuts and seeds mixture. I didn’t add any dried fruit or chocolate this time.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a half sheet pan (or cookie sheet approximately 18″ x 13″) with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. In a large bowl place oats, nuts and seeds, salt and cinnamon and stir to combine.
3. Pour in oil, honey, and vanilla.
4. Stir the mixture really well to completely coat the oats and nuts. Sometimes I will use clean hands to mix the granola at this stage to fully coat the oats.
5. Spread the mixture evenly onto your prepared baking sheet.
6. The granola needs to be stirred frequently to dry out the oats and properly brown the mixture. If not fully dried and cooked until golden your granola may hold residual moisture and mold after it’s stored.
7. I cooked the granola in 15, 15, 15, 10, and 5 minute increments stirring after each allotment of time and then spreading the granola evenly again across the pan. Pull the granola from the outside of the pan while stirring and bring it to the center to prevent the edges from overly browning.
8. After the granola is well browned remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
9. Toss cooled granola with dried fruits and/or chocolate.
10. Store cooled granola in an airtight container for up to one month.