Lainey's Pretty Decent Granola (Base)
(as adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown)

    * 3 cups rolled oats
    * 1 cup roughly chopped almonds
    * 3/4 cup flax seeds
    * 1/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
    * 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
    * 2 tablespoons coconut milk or water
    * 1/4 cup vegetable oil
    * 3/4 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 cup raisins
    * 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
    * 1/2 c. cranberries, dried
    * 1/2 c. dried pineapple, blueberries, or anything else you think goes

Basic directions, feel free to disregard

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, flax, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans, or else bake in separate batches. Do not make the mistake of thinking that shoving it all into one pan will work. A word to the wise, here. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so to achieve an even color.

3. During the last fifteen minutes, you can add your dried apricot to this mixture if it's particularly sticky, but otherwise, don't add any of your fruit. You know what burnt raisins taste like? I do. You'd think I could actually pay attention and think things through before just dumping everything into a pan, but the call of the cereal is hard to resist... sigh.

4. Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add dried fruit and mix until evenly distributed.

xo,
Lainey

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