Raspberry, Coconut, and Nut Granola

There is a bakery in DC called Baked and Wired.  I have been there a couple of times to by a cookie or brownie, but my roommate recently told me they sell granola labeled as hippie crack.  It's such a funny name that the next time I go I'll probably by an overpriced but delicious bag.

This is my second granola recipe I have posted on this blog.  The first, a walnut and cherry granola, was almost a year ago.  Time flies  when your blogging about food.

Granola is a contemporary invention of Muesli.  According to Wikipedia, the difference is that Muesli is not baked dry or sweetened.  I like brown,  crunchy, and sweet things, so I'm a fan of granola.  It was invented in a health spa in New York state in 1863.  It initially looked like large Grape-Nuts.  

I like granola because it has a long shelf life, provides a nice crunch texture to yogurt, and makes a quick and easy breakfast.  It's fun to come up with different nut and dried fruit combinations.  This recipe uses coconut, which will be a granola staple for me from here on.

The original recipe is from Alton Brown.  The ingredients are 3 cups rolled oats, 1 cup slivered almonds, 1 cup cashews, 3/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup dried raspberries.  

I added the oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, and salt into a big bowl.

In another bowl, I combined the brown sugar, melted coconut oil, and honey. 

I combined the sugar mixture and then poured it into the big bowl full of nuts and oats.  I stirred everything together until everything was thoroughly combined.

I poured the mixture onto a sheet pan with sides.  I spread the oats out in an even layer.

I baked the granola for an hour and 15 minutes at 250 degrees.  I stirred the granola every 15 minutes.

After the granola was done baking, I added the dried raspberries and stirred.  

The granola became a beautiful brown in the oven.  

It was crunchy and deliciously sweet.

I ate my granola for breakfast with yogurt and fresh fruit.  It made an ideal summer breakfast.  It was light but still nourishing and filling.

I enjoyed the coconut, nut, and dried raspberry combination, but the wonderful thing about granola is you can switch out these ingredients to your favorite nut and dried fruit.  It's very versatile.