Maple Nut Granola

I came across a recipe for granola that I tried and modified to meet our gluten free needs and I changed it so much that I just decided to make it my recipe. Everyone loved it and I was so glad because even though it is high in calories, it is really very nutritionally dense. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
8 cups gluten-free oats
1-1/2 cups flax meal
1-1/2 cups gluten-free oat bran
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped cashews
2/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup raw honey
1 cup coconut oil
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon gluten-free pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Line two 9x13 glass pans with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray with Pam.

Combine the oats, flax meal, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, cashews and walnuts in a large bowl.

Stir together salt, sugar, maple syrup, honey, coconut oil, cinnamon and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat.

Pour half of the mixture into each pan.

I don't have exact times for baking the granola. Basically, you want the granola to be nice and golden but not burned. It is easy to burn it so you really have to watch it. I set the timer for 10 minutes and then stir the granola. I set it for 10 more minutes and check at around 7 minutes and stir again or wait to stir at the 10 minute mark. Then, stir every 5 minutes or so until it looks thoroughly roasted. Don't let it get too dark. It will crisp as it cools.

Remove the granola from the over and with the back of a spoon, press the granola down into the pan. This will help make big chunks of granola when it cools. If you don't like chunks, skip this step.

Once it is completely cooled, store in an air tight container.