Holy Grail Granola

Obsessed, I've been, with this granola recipe since the fall of 2012. And it's been utterly selfish of me to have waited this long to share with you. I hadn't been a huge granola fan, as I've found storebought versions to be cloyingly sweet and clumpy, but then I was introduced to Blue Bottle Coffee's house made granola, and it was a revelation to me - perfect balance of sweet and savory, and not all clumpy, with crispy-shattery shards of yummy goodness. And then I came across Molly Wizenberg's granola recipe, of Orangette fame; she adapted the recipe from Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Foods - you can find the original recipe at Food 52. I daresay this recipe blows Blue Bottle's granola out of the water.

I've tweaked Molly's recipe a few times to reduce the sweetness more to my taste, and have found this recipe to be very forgiving. The pecans are wonderful, but I found myself completely out of pecans during one try, and walnuts are a great substitute. This will last at room temperature for a month, but I'm pretty sure it won't last that long in your household. This is one of Katie's favorite breakfast meals - granola mixed with some greek yogurt and berries. And it's also a very addictive snack. Oh, and the smell while it's baking - forget baking an apple pie during your open house - this is the thing to stick in your oven. Makes for great holiday gifts for neighbors and teachers, too. The dried fruit is optional, but I highly recommend the combo of currants and golden flame raisins - the tiny currants and the plump raisins add another level of deliciousness. I've tried dried cranberries and dried cherries as well, and it turned out perfectly adequate, but there is something magical about the currants and golden flame raisins - trust me! The heat of the granola makes parts of the currants and golden raisins browned, slightly crispy - and yet parts are still chewy. The texture and the faint sweetness add another dimension to the granola.

Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
1 1/4 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped (you can choose to keep them whole, but the smaller pieces make for a better texture)
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (Maldon)
1/4 cup maple syrup (any grade will do) - if you prefer more sweetness, increase to 1/2 cup
1/2 cup olive oil (need not be extra virgin, as you are baking the granola - save the expensive stuff for your dressings) OR melted coconut oil (further enhances the coconut flavor)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup Zante currants
1/2 cup golden flame raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat.

In a large bowl, mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut chips, pecans, light brown sugar, salt and cinnamon (if you choose to add cinnamon) together. Add the maple syrup and olive oil, and stir until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be wet and a bit clumpy at this point.

Spread the contents of the bowl onto the baking sheet pan. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is golden brown - about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the granola from the oven. Stir in the currants and golden raisins. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Makes about 7 cups. Try not to devour in one sitting.