NY Times Olive Oil Granola

Wow- I absolutely loved this granola.  This love made me feel guilty about "cheating" on my first love, "The Granola", but after making The Granola regularly for the last 5+ years, I got the itch to try a new recipe and was so glad I did!  (I still love you, first love Granola.  It's ok). 

I was intrigued, first of all, by the use of olive oil in this recipe.  There was actually so much olive oil in here that I had to add an extra cup of oats because the mixture was so wet.  Next time, I would try 1/3 cup olive oil instead of 1/2 cup.  This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of maple syrup- I used 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup agave nectar (trying it out for the first time).  I totally forgot to add the 1/2 cup brown sugar and was glad, because it was plenty sweet with all of that maple syrup and agave nectar.  I will omit that from the recipe posted below.

I LOVED the pistachios, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), cinnamon, and especially cardamom in this!  The flavor combo was SO good!!  You might notice the almonds in the photo- that's because I ran out of pistachios and had to use part almonds/part pistachios.  I've since bought more pistachios, so next time (and it will happen soon), I'm going to use 1 cup raw pistachios and 1/2 cup whole almonds, because I really do like almonds in my granola.  After baking (and after taking these pics), I added some dried cranberries to this (instead of the dried apricots called for). 

In the recipe below, I changed the oats amount from 3 to 4 cups.  I also suggest you start out with 1/3 cup olive oil and add a bit more if needed.  PS:  I made this over a month ago when I could still get a few good nectarines here and there.  :(  Those days are over!  Waaaah!

Note:  If your oats are gluten-free, this granola is a gluten free food!  (Many oats are processed in the same facilities as wheat and other gluten-containing products, so many oats are "contaminated" with gluten.)  I'll include a Gluten-Free tag on this; chances are, if you cook gluten-free, you already know to look for gluten-free oats.  :)

NY Times Olive Oil Granola

from the NY Times :)

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raw pistachios, hulled
1/2 cup raw whole almonds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup coconut chips (any unsweetened, dried coconut) 
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (first try 1/3 cup and see if that's enough-add more if needed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup dried cranberries, optional

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, agave nectar, olive oil, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a lightly greased, rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown and toasted. (May need to bake a bit longer.)  Cool on baking sheet.

2. Transfer granola to a large airtight container and add dried cranberries, tossing to combine.

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