Sunrise Granola

I get up early most mornings...but I can honestly say I would much rather sleep in a bit.  Sleeping in until at least 8 o'clock would be beautiful!  I was able to do so yesterday as I had the day off and it felt so nice!  I went out for my run and the sun was already up and the traffic winding down.  But the thing I missed by getting up a little later was a beautiful sunrise.  I often get to witness beautiful sunrises on my runs and that is what makes it completely worth getting up early.  The cotton candy colored sky rising above a clear lake with a bit of a fog raising up off of it is one of the most breathtaking sites! 

There are other things that would make getting up early a bit more enjoyable and some granola I recently made would definately be one of them!  Afterall, nothing beats home made granola, and it never ceases to make me happy! Of course I started out with oats, but I needed to include plenty of nuts as well.  So I added walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and sunflower seeds for lots of crunch and nutty goodness!  Some large flake coconut needed to be included as well because I believe that it makes the most heavenly granola!

To sweeten I used maple syrup because it produces the most crunchy sweet granola.  I added a bit of coconut oil for a lovely flavor and to ensure that the granola was a perfect golden brown, and also a bit of vanilla extract and cinnamon for a beautiful fragrance. 

The granola smelled wonderful while toasting!  It is one of my favorite smells, and it made me realize I do not make it often enough!  I sampled a bit while it was cooling and it was amazing even before I added a bit of golden raisins and banana chips. 

Once it was cool but still warm and I was able to enjoy it, I had a large bowl of it (because a small one wouldn't do)!  It was delicious!  Crunchy and slightly sweet,  and fragrant with maple and vanilla!  If you would like to enjoy some for yourself, here is the recipe.  I do warn though it is VERY addictive.  But that is not such a bad thing...

Sunrise Granola

Makes about 14 cups of delicious granola

6 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups walnuts

2 cups sunflower seeds

1 cup almonds

1 cup pine nuts

2 cups large flake coconut

3/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp maple extract
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups golden raisins
2 cups dried banana chips

Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil, and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 and set rack at the medium position. In a large bowl, combine oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, pine nuts, and coconut, and set aside. In another bowl, whisk together oil, maple syrup, maple sugar, sea salt, cinnamon, maple extract, and vanilla extract until well combined, then pour over oat mixture and toss to coat until completely blended. Pour out onto prepared baking sheet, and spread out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes or so until the granola is evenly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in golden raisins and banana chips and enjoy!