Perfect Crunchy Granola

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 7 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup soy flour or 1/2 cup protein powder
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 3/4 cup almonds, chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon caramel flavoring (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 1. stir together the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl or roasting pan. substitute anything that strikes your fancy, but i aim for a total of 11 cups dry ingredients.
• 3 2. mix brown sugar, water, and oil in a saucepan. boil for 1 minute. if you prefer a sweeter granola, add up to 1 cup more brown sugar.
• 4 3. remove from heat and add vanilla, caramel flavour, and salt.
• 5 4. pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture. stir until all dry ingredients are moistened.
• 6 5. if using a roasting pan, place this directly in the oven, uncovered. if you don't have a roasting pan, spread the mixture out on 2 cookie sheets and bake.
• 7 6. bake at 350 f for 15 minutes. stir, scraping the bottom. reduce oven temperature to 325 f, and continue to bake for 10 minutes intervals, stirring in between. it takes about a total of 45 minutes baking time.
• 8 7. remove from oven when the granola is golden and dry. allow to cool in the pan. store in an airtight container for weeks. mine never lasts that long, so i'm not sure!