Maple Granola

I like that this granola is easy and versatile. I sprinkle this over yogurt with berries for breakfast, add dried blueberries and milk for homemade cereal, or spoon over an assortment of fruit and berries for a crumble.

Ingredients

3 cups of oats   (I prefer rolled oats, but have used steel cut oat)

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

1 cup of walnuts

3/4 cup of almonds

1 cup of pecans 

4 Tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of maple syrup

1/4 cup of water

1/2 tsp of kosher salt

1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon is okay, but I didn't have any!

1 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)

 Preheat oven to 300 °F

Directions

In a medium sauce pan, over low heat, melt to combine the butter, maple syrup, and water. While that melts, measure out your nuts and oats into a large mixing bowl. I did cut the nuts to bite size pieces. I wanted to end up with a product that would give me a variety of nuts in each bite. So the walnuts, almonds and pecans were chopped, and the pumpkin seeds remained intact. Add the salt and spice. 

Once the butter melts, raise the heat and bring to a gentle boil. Once the mixture comes to a boil, remove from the heat and add in the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet. I used a pan that had well defined edges so that I could pack the mixture into a single layer. I bake in increments of 15 minutes and then take it out to stir the mixture. I try to bring the mixture from the bottom to the top to get an even cook. I am trying to dry the mixture out. I do this a total of 3 times. The key is to get the mixture dry, but to also not burn the nuts. That's game over. Also, the mixture will dry a little as it cools. 

I allow the mixture to cool completely before storing it in containers for any of my breakfast or snacking needs. I am currently enjoying it with yogurt and a few blueberries and blackberries. Enjoy!

Bonus: For the crumble that I mentioned in the intro, I cut up one peach,  and a  handful each of blueberries and blackberries. I sprinkled a teaspoon flour so that as the fruit cooks the juice will thicken, and then poured a tablespoons of maple syrup. Stir to combine. Then spoon over the uncooked granola and bake until the fruit is cooked through and the granola is a crispy golden brown. If you want to eat this as dessert, then serve with a scoop of ice cream. I ate this for breakfast with a dollop of yogurt. It was delicious!

Are you a fan of granola? Do you like a different combination of mix-ins?