White Cottage granola

White Cottage Granola
(makes 1 large jar)
 
I’m a huge fan of granola but I'm really quite fussy. I like it to be nutty, have no fruit (I’ll add that fresh) and be not too sweet. It’s hard to find one that’s just right. The great thing about making your own is that you can hone the recipe to suit your own tastes - a little more honey or maple syrup if you have a sweet tooth and you can add your own particular favourite mix of seeds and nuts. Similarly, if you’re a fan of dried fruit, you can add 100g dried fruit such as raisins, apricots, dates or sultanas. And it just couldn't be simpler. You'll wonder why you haven't made it before.
 
Ingredients
 
Mixed rolled grains, eg oats, wheat, barley, spelt or rye*                                  250g
Mixed seeds, eg pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax                                            125g
Mixed nuts, eg pecan, brazil, hazelnuts, whole or flaked almonds                  125g
Light brown sugar                                                                                                         30g
Runny honey                                                                                                                  50g
Light vegetable oil,                                                                                                         30g
 
*If you only have oats, it’s fine to use just oats but try to use a jumbo or large flake version.
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​Method
 
Preheat your oven to 140C.
 
Place the oil, honey and sugar in a large bowl and combine. To this, now add the mixed nuts and seeds and coat well. Now add your rolled grain flakes and combine evenly. The simplest way to do this is to get your hands in and rub the sticky seed/nut mixture through thoroughly.
 
Spread out onto a large baking tray covered in a silicon or greaseproof paper sheet, making sure it  and spread as thin as possible and evenly to the edges. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning your tray halfway through the baking time, if necessary.
 
Allow to cool on the tray, then break it up a little with your hands. When completely cool, lift up the sheet and slide the granola off into a clean storage jar. It will keep for several weeks in an airtight container. It makes a great gift too - bagged up, tied up with string and labelled with your own personal label.