Crunchy Fig Granola

Way back in December, I was intrigued by a post on Jeannette's great blog, Everybody Loves Sandwiches, where she detailed the secret to making granola that actually clumps up. I've made granola a few times and although the ingredients are good, the flavor itself is good, the clusters were never present. I tried out her recipe, tweaking the ingredients and making a larger batch, and am pleased to report that the magical clusters are there. Yay!

I already know how some of you are, and I know that you like to reduce sugar in recipes which is fine by me. But, the key to the clumps IS the sugar so make this recipe just as it is and then eat some celery and go for a run later or something.

I changed up the recipe using ingredients I had on hand. Every time I opened up my pantry this container of figs would stare at me so they were definitely going in the mix. The figs were joined by a crunchy wholesome mix of almonds, coconuts, pepitas and flax seeds. I used thick-cut rolled oats which add great texture but I am sure regular rolled oats would work just fine too.

For about 5 cups of granola:

• 3 cups organic thick-cut rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 2/3 cup raw pepitas
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 4 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves. Add in the figs, almonds, coconut, pepitas and flax seeds. Stir again until well-combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and with a spatula, gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Evenly spread out the granola onto the baking sheet and place in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, gently stirring the granola every 10 minutes, until it is golden and fragrant.

Remove from the oven and set aside until cool. It's tempting to mess with it at this point because it smells so delicious but don't. As it cools it is clumping together and clumps are the best part. Be patient. Once it's cool, break it into clumps and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Adapted from "Better Than From a Bakery Granola" on Everybody Loves Sandwiches