My Best Homemade Granola

Isn't breakfast like the best meal of the day sometimes? 
I have made granola from scratch many times over the years. It fills my home with such a roasty, wonderful smell. I can hardly wait till it's cooled off to munch on it.
This granola has to be the best I've ever made. In fact, I'm kinda obsessed with it.
It doesn't help that my buddy Samantha brought me Noosa Passion Fruit yogurt.
It's mind-blowing deliciousness together. 
I don't know if she knows how much I love passion fruit, but she's pretty intuitive....and a bad ass chef girl to boot.

My top 5 coolest things about making granola yourself:

• It's easy to make! Basically, dump, stir, bake, cool, eat, swoon.
• Totally customizable - you choose your favorite add-ins, flavors, spices, etc. Make it lighter with less fat and sweetener or go all out for a more decadent version and add some chocolate chips while you are at it!
• It makes a great breakfast AND a fantastic dessert.
• Cheaper than buying it.
• It makes your house smell like heaven.

For this batch, I used pecans, a dried fruit blend of blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries {my fav - like little seedy gems!}, a mix of maple syrup and sorghum, unsweetened coconut flakes, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter.  So so good.

Have you tried Noosa yogurt? If not, RUN.....run quickly to your nearest grocery and get you some! Creamiest goodness ever. I couldn't keep this stuff in my house on a regular basis, because I would have no self-control. It is so freaking good. And yes, I snarfed this down {Jay saw very little of it} in two days. Noosa kind of makes your head spin and everyone should experience that once in a while. 

So now it's back to my plain, low-fat greek yogurt at home....snooze-time right? Well, not really, I'm a fan.....but it's no passion fruit Noosa.

Hey, how do you like my fun, yellow linen napkins? I dyed these with turmeric last week.....love bright yellow anything!

I think that often we think it's too hard or takes too much work to make things from scratch. And yes, sometimes that rings very true. We work hard, have lots of responsibilities, and we just want to sit on the couch and vegetate after a long day {cue a glass of wine and an episode of So You Think You Can Dance?}.

But, when I actually get up off my behind and make something like this granola, I realize it is so gratifying. It is full of my love, my intention, my hands....and it just tastes a lot better than something out of box.

My Best Homemade Granola with Yogurt

Makes about 8 cups

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

4 cups rolled oats 

1 1/2 cups pecan halves, broken up slightly

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded large-flake coconut

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup dried fruit {I used a blend of blueberries, cranberries, & strawberries}

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup maple syrup plus 1/4 cup sorghum syrup
Handful of chopped fresh fruit, for topping {I used a few strawberries}

Preheat the oven to 300F with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven.  Set out two rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment.

Combine the oats, pecans, coconut, salt, nutmeg,  and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and stir in the maple and sorghum syrups.  Whisk until thoroughly combined, then pour the maple-sorghum mixture over the oat mixture and stir until everything is well coated, at least 30 seconds.  Divide the mixture equally between the two baking sheets and spread into a thin layer.

Bake, stirring a couple times along the way, for 40-50 minutes, or until the granola is toasty and deeply golden.  Rotate the pans a couple times during the cook time to ensure even baking.

Remove from the oven.  Let cool completely then break apart and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serve with your favorite yogurt or milk {non-dairy if you like} and fresh fruit.