Making your own granola is surprisingly easy, fast and a huge money-saver. This recipe is very flexible to your personal tastes and takes minimal effort—just pop it in the oven  and shift it around once in a while. I’ve made other granolas with pumpkin and walnuts and one with mango, but this time around I wanted something lightly sweetened that I could eat for a protein boost any time of day.

I am going to be posting some amazing desserts next week, but since they’re for my boyfriend’s birthday I need to keep it a secret until then. Trust me, you’re going to want to make them.  I’ve posted some of my experiments for his birthday in the past, and every time I do I always get great responses.

For any of my more regular readers, I apologize for my lack of posts lately and everything is back on track now. Can’t wait to show you all what I’ve been working on and to see your creations as well!

Ingredients

• 3 cups large flake oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup unsalted roasted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup hemp hearts
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. fine grain salt

Method

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut and seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together maple syrup, oil and salt. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix well.

Spread the mixture on two ungreased baking sheets and bake for an hour and a half, stirring every 20 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking for even colour. Once finished, allow to cool then store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 weeks.