I don't consider myself fussy about food, but I have yet to meet a boxed granola I like. Boxed brands just don't tend to have the same flavor and lovely chunks as the homemade variety. I've been meaning to share my favorite recipe for easy and awesome homemade granola; it's simple to make and is a great project to work on with kids (Violet loved dumping and stirring in ingredients!). Make a double batch because it disappears quickly!

I adapted this recipe from Food to Live By's maple walnut granola since I wanted a different balance of dry ingredients (I'm especially not a fan of overly seedy granola). Also, this weekend I tossed in flax and coconut (not shown in pictures below) for a little added power boost. Scrumptious.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 1/12 cup slivered raw almonds
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/4 cup ground flax *optional
• 1/4 cup coconut *optional
• 1 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees.

2. Mix oats, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, almonds, and cinnamon (and flax and coconut if you choose to include) in a bowl. Add maple syrup and oil and mix well.

3. Spread granola evenly on a jelly roll pan (I always use a Silpat mat to prevent sticking and for easier cleanup). Bake 25 minutes then stir. Continue to bake 15-20 minutes, stirring once, and watching carefully to make sure granola doesn't burn. Enjoy!

Image credits: Christine Koh