Spiced Orange Granola

I absolutely love granola. I eat it for breakfast with almond milk, on top of Greek yogurt with honey and blueberries for lunch, and even dry as a quick snack (not all in one day, mind you!). Bagged granola can be yummy, but nothing, absolutely nothing, beats homemade granola. It takes minimal time and very little effort to throw a batch of granola together.

I make my own granola all the time without a recipe - it's really hard to mess it up - oats, nuts, seeds, oil, honey....it always seems to come together. But I was inspired by a recipe I saw on the blog Cookie & Kate to add orange zest to my usual batch. I also added cloves because well, oranges and cloves are always a good idea. The addition of the orange rind was so delicious I had to share it with you. This, of course, required me actually making a recipe for you - but really, I just eyeball it when I'm making this - so don't get too worried about exact amounts.

**One thing I am particular about when it comes to granola is NOT cooking the raisins and Craisins in the oven along with the rest of the ingredients - this will turn your dried fruits into super hard, chewy pellets that will really give your jaw a workout and who wants that!!? I like my dried fruits super soft....and for this reason I always soak them in hot water for ten minutes before incorporating them (I do this for cookies, in salads, etc....always soak your dried fruits in hot water before adding them to any dish - it will plump them up and take away that hard fruit texture).  So place them in a dish, add hot water, let soak for about 10 minutes and then drain completely.

I hope you enjoy this granola recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbl orange zest (about two oranges)
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (you can sub brown or white)
• 5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups of seeds and/or nuts (I use 1/2 cup each of the following - sunflower, pepitas, sliced almonds, chopped walnuts. Use any combo you like)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp ground cloves (depending on your taste for cloves)
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 Tbl vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds, optional
• 3/4 cup raisins, soaked and drained** (see note above about soaking)
• 3/4 cup Craisins, soaked and drained**

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil if you do not have parchment.
3. In a small bowl, combine the orange zest and coconut sugar. This is the tip I got from the blog Cookie & Kate - while you are stirring the zest and the sugar together press the orange into the sugar with the back of a spoon until you can smell the orange. This will ensure the granola is infused with that lovely orange flavor.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats and seeds & nuts of your choice.
5. In another bowl combine the olive oil, honey, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, vanilla, and orange zest sugar and whisk until blended.
6. Pour the granola onto your prepared baking sheet. Spread the granola in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes and then stir well. Bake for another 8-ish minutes and check again. I like to slightly under-cook my granola- I do not care for hard crunchy oats. So my preferred baking time is about 18 to 20 minutes total - and I'm always checking to make sure it isn't getting too brown. The granola will crisp up a bit as it cools on the baking sheet, as well.
7. After the granola is cool stir in the hemp seeds, if using, plus soaked and drained raisins and Craisins.  And that's it! This granola will keep for a week on the counter in an air tight container or two weeks in the refrigerator. 
8. Eat like cereal with milk or almond milk; sprinkle on top of Greek yogurt and top with berries or just eat it by the handful as a delicious, hearty snack. Enjoy!