Crunchy Granola

I eat this granola just about every day for breakfast with my homemade yogurt. Its pretty much the only breakfast that actually holds me over until lunch time. Its the easiest thing in the world to make and its so much better than store bought granola. You can change it up with whatever nuts and seeds you want. If you want to add dried fruit, mix it in after you bake the granola.

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raw pecans, slightly crushed
• 1 cup raw sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1/4 cup raw shelled sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup raw wheat germ
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup maple syrup

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Once the butter is mostly melted, stir in the maple syrup. Heat for a minute or two, just to thin out the syrup a little. The butter and the syrup will stay separated, but that’s ok. Pour syrup mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. The wheat germ and sesame seeds will have sunk to the bottom of the bowl, so you have to make sure you mix it really well so that everything is evenly distributed. Once everything is evenly coated with the syrup, spread in an even layer in a rimmed baking sheet. If you line the pan with foil it will be a easier to scoop it all up once its done. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Stir halfway through baking time so that the edges don’t burn. Leave in the pan to cool. Once it’s completely cool transfer to an airtight container. If you’re not going to eat it very fast store it in the fridge. It will keep a lot longer there.