Homemade Granola

How we make it.

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Throw it all in a big bowl and stir! Pour onto a baking sheet into a thin layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, taking out to stir halfway through. Let cool completely on stove top for 40 minutes before stirring and storing. Serve over yogurt, ice cream or in a cereal bowl with milk and enjoy! Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Why we make it.

My family just spent a weekend in the North Carolina High Country, where I was changed by a complimentary breakfast. Each morning we tumbled out of our cottage to breakfast at the cozy throwback lodge at the bottom of the hill. Don't mind us, we told sophisticates sipping coffee fireside as our bed headed ragamuffins chirped about pastry selections. I'm not much of a breakfast eater, but for this wood paneled smoke scented mountain (re)treat I made an exception. And man did I get stuck on their granola. Clearly homemade, full of toasted nuts and golden oats, its splendor warmed my cockles. Why don't I make this at home? Well, now I do. This granola is full of walnuts, pepitas and oats, lightly sweetened with maple syrup and toasted coconut. Meow. It's a breakfast you can feel good about feeding your family . . . or put it over ice cream and call it a day. That's why we make it.