New York Inspired... Granola

I came to the big apple claiming that I would live by my motto "a pancake a day keeps the doctor away" but I'm afraid I cracked. On day 5 it all just became too much and I'd already loosened my belt too many notches to feel anything close to the sexy city girl. One Girl Cookies was my salvation.. and inspiration for this recipe. Along with the cakes and other sweet treats, they also sell bags of their own yummy granola.

Now, everyone seems to have their own definition of granola so I'm prepared to be shouted down, but in my view, granola is made up of crunchy clusters (best eaten with yoghurt - yeo valley natural's my favourite), whereas muesli is full of a mix of individual flakes (best eaten with milk). A lot of granolas seem to hit the middle no man's land of crispy individual flakes, undoubtably lovely, but I've added a little more honey and oil to the recipe to help it clump into bigger clusters.

This is my adaptation of the One Girl Cookies 'Honey and Apricot Granola' recipe from their cookery book.

Serves about 15
Pre-heat oven to 110 degrees C (fan if possible)

225g rolled oats, toasted (optional)
50g flaked almonds, toasted
20g chopped brazil nuts, toasted                                                      
25g pumpkin seeds, toasted
25g desiccated coconut, toasted (watch out, it's very quick)

---- Combine in a large bowl ----

1 quarter of a flat tsp salt
75g honey (it makes it easier to stir in if you warm it slightly)
40g sunflower oil
1 quarter of a tsp vanilla extract
1 quarter flat tsp mixed spice
Zest of a quarter of an orange

---- Stir into the dry mixture. Pour mixture onto baking tray (with non-stick paper) and pat down (to help it form clusters). Cook for about 1 and a half hours, checking every 30 mins, turning and breaking it up into clusters after first check----

40g chopped apricots
20g dried cranberries

---- Combine with the baked mixture and pour into large, airtight jars once it's cooled to room temperature. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks ----

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