Healthy Granola

Ingredients: Dry

• 4 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced raw almonds (or more)
• 1/2 cup raw chopped pecans
• 1 cup loose raisins (or more)

Ingredients: Syrup

• 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Mix dry ingredients: Add oats, sunflower seeds, coconut, almonds, pecans, and raisins to a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. Make Syrup by adding butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, honey and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil and once boiling, remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla.
4. Combine: Pour syrup over the dry oat mixture and mix well until everything is evenly coated.
5. Bake: Pour mixture onto prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and toss mixture, then gently press down on it with your spatula to flatten it back into the pan. Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool: Remove pan from oven. If it is for cereal, allow granola to cool completely in the pan before stirring or breaking it up (by not pressing, this will be better for hot cereal). If this is for snacks, press it down while directly out of the oven. Then break it up after it fully cools.