Granola Recipe (Gagnon & Yu Family Blends)

Caution: Extremely delicious and addicting, eat at your own risk of being addicted to deliciousness.

I've adapted this recipe from Alton Brown's Granola Recipe, and have customized it into two blends. One for my father (余 家 "Yu-Family" Blend) and one for Joe (Gagnon-Family Blend). Once you have a base, it's pretty easy to customize.

Ingredients

• 3 C Old-fashioned Oats (be careful not to use quick oats)
• 1 C Shredded (unsweetened if available) Coconut (3/4 C if you're making the 余 家  Blend)
• 2 C Seeds & Nuts
• Gagnon-Family Blend: 1 C Slivered Almonds, 1/2 C Pumpkin Seeds, 1/2 C Sunflower Seeds
• 余 家 Blend: 1 C Slivered Almonds, 1 C Chopped Walnuts
• 1/4 C Brown Sugar
• 1/4 C Maple Syrup
• 1/4 C Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsps Vanilla Extract
• 2 tsps Cinnamon (余 家 Blend) or Pumpkin Spice Mix (Gagnon-Family Blend)
• 1 healthy pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 250°F. Combine oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon/pumpkin spice, and brown sugar in a bowl and mix well. Combine syrup, oil, salt, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and mix until uniform. Slowly drizzle the wet mixture into the dry as you stir. Mix until oats are evenly coated and pour onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper (divide evenly between both and spread out evenly).

Bake in the middle of the oven for 60-75 minutes stirring and rotating the trays (up and down) every 15 minutes. You're oats should be golden brown and your nuts should be toasted but not dark brown. If it looks like your nuts are starting to burn - pull them earlier.

Let cool, enjoy and try to exercise self control!

*Note: For a base you just need the oats and all of the wet ingredients. The coconut can be omitted (but I suggest you don't) and the nuts/seeds just need to add up to 2 cups (I would highly recommend you do at least 1/2 a cup of slivered almonds).