Agave Granola

I've been eating a lot of granola lately, and I've taken to making it myself.  I like the flavor of agave nectar and I like to add things not typically found in the store versions, like hazelnuts or coconut.

Here's my version of this recipe:

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup nuts (hazelnuts are especially good!)
• A couple of handfuls of seeds - sunflower, pumpkin, etc.
• 3 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 3/4 cup dried fruit
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup agave (or honey)
• Other goodies as you desire:  Coconut, choc chips, etc.

I like the olive oil/butter combo.  I've tried it with just butter, and while tasty, I wanted to cut down on that.  I've tried it with just olive oil, and again, while tasty, it didn't brown up the way I wanted.  So I go half and half.

Preheat oven to 250.  In a large bowl, add the oats, nuts, seeds and flax seed meal.  Stir.

Melt the butter and add the agave.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about a minute.  Take off the heat and stir in the olive oil and vanilla until well blended. 

Stir this liquid mixture into the dry ingredients above.  Mix well. Spread onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet (you may need two, depending on how much stuff you've added).  I do not recommend putting in the dried fruit now.  It gets too done.  I stir in the fruit after the stuff comes out of the oven.

Bake for ~1 hour or a little more, until the oats get nice and brown and to the level of crunchiness you desire. 

Bring out of oven and stir in the fruit and any extras (if you are using something that melts, wait until it cools.)  Enjoy several handfuls right away, but don't burn your tongue!

When it cools, pack away in an airtight container.  If I go easy and have some of this on granola every day for breakfast, it lasts a week.  Sometimes I don't make it  that long!

This version is lightly sweet, so it's not what you'll buy at the store.  Also, you could choose to stir in the nuts, seeds and flax seed meal with the fruit and get even more healthful benefits from those items in raw form.