salted maple pepita & coconut granola

Toasted oats. Warm maple. Cinnamon spice.

These are the heavenly smells that filled my kitchen this past weekend as I baked this granola to crispy perfection. If only I could wake up to this aroma slinking up the stairs on these chilly fall mornings, inviting me to leave my cozy bed for the promise of something just as warm and comforting in the waking world.

Alas, no one is rising before me to toast oats for my breakfast, and my guess is you're in the same boat. So crawl out of bed, stir up your granola, and get it in the oven. Then put on a pot of coffee and wait for waves of nutty maple and spice to find you.

Close your eyes, take a deep breath in, and sigh. Fall is here.

Watch the video!

Ingredients:

3 cups oats

1 cup coconut flakes

2/3 cup pepitas

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. Pour all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until fully combined.

3. Spread the granola out evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, taking the pan out every 10 minutes to push the darker granola from the edges to the center of the pan and the lighter granola from the center to the edges. Keep a closer eye on the granola in the last 10 minutes of baking to avoid burning. The granola should be golden and crispy.