I’m not typically a fan of granola or rather the type of granola that’s as sweet as crumbled oat biscuits, but this lightly sweet version, rich with olive oil and crunchy nuts, is divine. I use extra virgin olive oil, giving an earthy flavour but you can easily use a light olive oil if you prefer. You can play around with the choice of nuts, seeds, and spices to suit your tastes too. With only honey as a sweetener, this granola has a looser texture than versions containing a lot of sugar but, if you like your granola to be more ‘clumpy’, gently compress the hot mixture before it cools down and sets.

Makes about 20 servings.      Hands on time:  25 minutes      Total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

200g           Whole rolled oats
200g           Pecans
100g           Honey
100g           Extra virgin olive oil
50g             Flaked almonds
50g             Sunflower seeds
50g             Pumpkin seeds
50g             Golden linseeds
3tsp            Cinnamon
½ tsp          Salt

Tip:  If you want to add dried fruit, mix this in just as the granola leaves the oven to avoid burning.

Method

1.     Preheat oven to 200°C or 180°C Fan.

2.     Line two large trays with parchment and spread the oats across the trays. Toast the oats for 15–20 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature by 20°C.

3.     Gently heat the honey and oil in a large pan before adding in the nuts, seeds, cinnamon, salt and toasted oats. Stir the mixture well to evenly coat everything before spreading the mixture across the two trays.

4.     Bake for 15 minutes, stirring the mixture halfway, until the granola has a rich light brown colour.

5.     Remove from the oven and leave on the trays to completely cool. Store in an airtight container or sealed bag (2 litre capacity).