The nuts in the recipe add extra flavor, texture and nutrients. When choosing your dried fruits make sure they are unsweetened in an effort to keep the sugar content down.  You may choose to sweeten your granola with raw local honey.  If you or someone in your family suffers from allergies this may be a good alternative. If the honey has not been pasteurized it will contain traces of local pollen that could be beneficial to someone suffering with allergies. I prefer the flavor of Maple syrup over honey in this particular recipe.  When choosing Maple syrup make sure you choose organic grade b maple syrup.  The grade b has less sugar and more nutrients than its grade a counterpart.  Make sure the ingredient listing says 100% Maple syrup…no corn syrup!  I purchased mine from Trader Joe's.

Whenever possible use organic and raw.  Don’t worry too much about being exact with the measurements of this recipe.  It is hard to mess this one up! And remember to be creative with your flavors, it will keep things interesting. 

This granola tastes great with plain Amasai cultured green-fed dairy, unflavored plain Greek yogurt, almond milk or by itself.   I like mine with almond milk and a scoop of Vanilla protein powder!

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut flakes
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil
• 4 tbsp. fresh ground almond butter
• ½ cup Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 large pinch sea salt
• 3/4 cup Raisins (to your liking…less for less sugar)
• Dried apples (also to your liking)

Use any combination of fruits you desire.  I’ve used Raisins & Dried Apples, another time I used Cranberries and Pecans. (I omitted the walnuts & slivered almonds above and used pecans instead) Dried Blueberries, banana chips etc.  The possibilities are endless. 

Pre-heat the oven to 275 degrees F.  Combine coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla extract, almond extract, and sea salt in a sauce pan.  Stir ingredients over light heat until the consistency is smooth.  Combine rolled oats, shredded coconut, and nuts in a large bowl.  Fold the liquid in slowly as to coat all dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.  Spread granola out evenly over cookie sheet.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.  The goal is to cook it low and slow.  Stir every 30 minutes for even color.