Crunchy Granola

Yield: About 8 cups (at least 16 servings)

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
• 2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews
• 1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
• Dash salt
• 1/2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
• 1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit, optional

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, cinnamon, salt and sweetener. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.
   
   
2. Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.

Notes

• Add nuts after 10-15 minutes in over to avoid burning.

Source: Mark Bittman, The New York Times, January 9, 2009