Last December, as a gift for the holiday season, my neighbor gave me the most amazing granola I’ve ever had. I’ve been thinking about it ever since and finally got the recipe from her.

I whipped up a batch tonight after dinner. (It’s super easy to make by the way.) My morning Chobani has just gotten even better!

This recipe makes a lot of granola, but it stores well. And, as I discovered last year, it makes an awesome gift for the holidays. Just put some in a cute jar, tie a bow around it, and voila. You’re ready to give the gift of granola perfection! Enjoy.

Canyon Granola

Recipe adapted from Cowgirl Cuisine: Rustic Recipes and Cowgirl Adventures From a Texas Ranch, by Paula Disbrowe.

Makes 11 to 12 cups.

1 cup pure maple syrup (not maple-flavored)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
4 ounces (about 1 cup) pecan halves
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) raw unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernels)
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal
4 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) chopped dried peaches or nectarines
4 ounces (generous 1/2 cup) dried cherries or golden raisins

Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 300 degrees. Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown sugar is dissolved, and stir in vanilla. In a large bowl, combine oats, pecans, pepitas, sunflower seeds, flour, milk powder, and flaxseed meal. Pour warm syrup mixture over dry ingredients and mix well with a rubber spatula.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the moistened oats evenly between the sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, then stir with a metal spatula and switch sheets to opposite racks to ensure even cooking. Bake another 20 minutes, then stir and switch pans again. Continue baking until mixture has a fragrant, toasty aroma, about another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the granola in the pans, breaking up any unwieldy clumps with a spatula. When completely cool, mix in dried peaches and cherries. May be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

Tags: fruit, granola, holidays, nuts, recipe

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 8:11 PM and is filed under Chobani, Nothing But Good, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.