I eat a lot of granola. Like, a ridiculous amount. Some will say that granola is meant to go with yogurt, or even milk, but I am here to tell you otherwise. Granola is for eating by the handful, sans yogurt. The first thing I do almost every day when I get home from school is to go into the kitchen, open a container of granola and stand by the counter eating it by the handful. Homemade granola is infinitely better than store-bought granola. It’s full of clumps, it’s crunchy and it tastes amazing. Enjoy!

Yield: 10-11 cups

Ingredients:

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips or unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup unsalted pistachios
• 1½ cup slivered almonds
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup dried cherries

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. Mix together the oats, coconut, pistachios, almonds, cardamom, cinnamon and salt, then stir.
3. Add the olive oil, maple syrup and brown sugar; mix thoroughly.
4. Pour the granola onto a baking sheet and spread evenly.
5. Bake for 15 minutes, until the granola is slightly dark and no longer wet. Take the pan out of the oven and stir the granola, then place back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven.
6. Wait for the granola to cool, then add the cherries.

Recipe adapted from Debbie Koenig, Fine Cooking magazine.