Harvest Spice Granola

What better way to start a winter day than with some hearty granola?! This one is packed with proteins and healthy fats to keep you (or those hungry kids!) full longer and with plenty of energy to start the day.

Harvest Spice Granola


Ingredients:

9 c. oats

1 c. sliced almonds

1 c. walnuts*

1 c. almonds*

1 c. pecans*

1 c. cashews*

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 c. pumpkin seeds

1 c. sunflower seeds

1 c. butter

1 c. honey

1/2 tsp. salt

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1 c. dried Currants (or other harvest-y fruit)

Directions:

Melt butter and honey together with salt, take off the heat to add vanilla. Pour into oats/nuts, bake at 250˚ for 2 hours, stirring once. The thinner it is spread out on sheets, the crispier it is. Also, if you turn off the oven and allow it to sit for a couple hours cooling off in the oven it crisps up nice- I do it at night, turn if off when going to bed and pull it out in the morning. I use parchment paper so it slides off easier and I bake mine in two 9" x 13"   baking pans. Add fruit after cooling. Store in air tight container.

* I purchase all these nuts whole in large quantities, place in them in the food processor for a few whirls and then add them to my oats, etc.

Always add the nuts before baking granola and the dried fruit after it's out of the oven (fruit burns).