This is one of those recipes I have never really given much consideration to as it’s just something that happens every week in our house (a necessity really given the levels of hunger teenage boys seem to be afflicted by) . However after my last house-guest demolished an entire jar and begged me for the recipe I decided it was time to add it to my blog. She was not the first to wax lyrical (have to agree that it’s pretty scrummy 🙂 ) and you can add different dried fruits and nuts from macadamias and mango to cashews and freeze dried blueberries – the sky is the limit! However I do think that the combo of dried cherries and pecans is rather luxurious  and feels like such a treat, for special holidays maybe the addition of some raw chocolate chips would take it to the next level of scrumptiousness.

I keep a big clear jar of this breakfast goodie on display on the shelf in the kitchen and my whole family enjoys it as a snack with yogurt and fruit at any time of day not just in the morning!

INGREDIENTS

450 grams rolled oats

100 grams sunflower seeds

100 grams white sesame seeds

100g Pumpkin Seeds

120g apple sauce

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

120 grams Maple syrup or Honey

50g Coconut sugar (optional)

200 grams pecan halves OR Whole almonds or 50/50

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Coconut oil melted

100g Dried cherries (or replace with raisins or other dried fruit)

100g raisins

Instructions

Heat the oven up to 170°C or 150°C Fan

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl except the dried cherries and raisins.

Mix the melted coconut oil with the maple syrup, coconut sugar if using and apple sauce.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and mix thoroughly.

Spread this mixture out onto one large baking tray, if you have a large oven then the kind that comes with your oven. If you don’t have a large one use two smaller ones as you want the raw granola ot be spread in a thin layer)

You want to get the granola an even golden colour and not let it burn so you will need to take it out every so often and shake it about or use a spoon. Depending on your oven this could take between 25-35 mins

Only add the dried fruit once its out the oven or the sweet little cherries and raisins will burn and become swollen and hard as the sugars caramelise.

I always try to arrange the healthy snack options we have in the house in glass jars and keep the less healthy snacks hidden away and this tactic has always worked in our house. Remember “digestion begins with your eyes” so make you bowl’s look pretty.