Toasty Coconut Pecan Granola

This is perfect for the coconut lover in your family (even if that is you!)

¼ cup honey

¼ cup coconut oil

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking)

1 cup steel cut oats

1 cup pecans broken into medium sized pieces (I find pre-chopped pieces too small)

1 cup natural coconut flakes (not presweetened)

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg white whisked with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of each salt and white sugar

Instead of honey use agave syrup or brown sugar
Use all of the same kind of oats - use 4 cups of old fashioned or 2 cups of steel cut

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Put a piece of parchment or waxed paper on a large baking sheet (you can use waxed paper since we will be cooking this at a low temperature)

Put the coconut oil and honey into a small microwave safe bowl. Heat until the oil is liquid - this took 45 seconds in my microwave.

Mix the two kinds of oats, pecans and coconut in a large bowl. Mix with a big spoon.

Add the ¼ teaspoon salt to the honey/oil bowl and mix (just use the big spoon - it will all end up together)

Pour slowly over the oats mixture while you stir.

Separate the egg and put the white in a small bowl or cup. Add the teaspoon of water and a tiny pinch of each salt and white sugar - these help break down the albumen into a liquid from those gross snotty clumps. Whip with a small whisk or fork until it is foamy (about 30 seconds)

Keep stirring while you pour the egg mixture over the granola-to-be. The egg white will do two things - give the oats a tiny glossy finish which looks good and helps keep the granola fresh. And it will help the chunks clump together just a little bit. If you want big granola-y clusters, use a couple of egg whites.

Spread the mixture on the parchment-lined pan and spread it out. Make it a bit thicker at the edges; that will prevent the edges from burning while the center stays pale.

Put the pan in the middle of the preheated oven and shut the door.

Set the timer for 15 minutes.

When the buzzer goes off, take the partially toasted granola out of the oven and scoop all of the mix towards the center of the pan. Then spread it out again just as it was when you first put it in the oven.

Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. When it is done, it should be toasty but not dark brown.

When you take it out, you want to have a place to cool it quickly. Since the pan will still be hot, I usually dump it out onto a clean section of the kitchen counter, but you could use a paper towel or a clean shallow dish.

You do not want to heap it up at this point as you will end up with a sticky steamy mess. The idea is to let as much steam escape while it cools. You want crunchy granola! It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to cool.

Taste test your granola to be sure you like it. Put it into an airtight canister. It should stay fresh for a couple of week in the cabinet.

This is pretty rich granola so I would not recommend eating a whole bowl straight up. It is great on yogurt and/or cut up bananas or as a topper for my boring multigrain Cheerios. If you make some, let me know how you serve it.