Everyday Granola

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup oil (olive oil is nice, though others work too)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds

Directions

Move your rack to the top third of the oven, and preheat your oven to 325Fahrenheit (make sure it’s fully preheated, or you risk scorching the bottom). Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment or silpat liner (reportedly this is not optional, unless you fancy chipping granola off a pan).

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, and salt, until well combined. Add the oats, almonds, sunflower and flax seeds, and stir, scooping the goo from the bottom, until everything is well coated.

Transfer the mixture to your pan, and smooth it into an even layer. Using a pancake spatula, press down firmly and evenly like really, really firmly to compress the mixture as much as you can. If you don’t have a flat spatula, you can place another sheet of parchment on top, and then press down with another pan.

Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake 30-40 minutes, until just lightly browned. Turn off the oven, and leave the pan in the residual heat for another 10 minutes. Remove the pan, and let it cool fully this will take longer than you’d think (about an hour), but you need to wait in order for your granola to set and not crumble to bits. When cool, break into chunks of your desired size, and store in a covered container.