Blood Orange Granola with Coconut, Cherries and Cashews

This recipe is courtesy of Chef Rachel, who specializes in original recipes using the olive oils and vinegars that we sell at Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co.

Needed for this recipe:

• Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co. Blood Orange Olive Oil
*optional: Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co. Tahitian Vanilla Dark Balsamic

Ingredients:
• 6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup cashews or (almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts)
• 1 cup unsweetened large flake coconut
• 1 cup dried fruit such as cherries, but you can use blueberries, dates, raisins, cranberries… etc.
• ½ cup Blood Orange Olive Oil or (or Lemon, Persian Lime)
• ½ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon REAL vanilla extract or Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co. Tahitian Vanilla Dark Balsamic (which is infused with REAL vanilla extract)

Preheat the oven to 325º F.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the first four dried ingredients and spread out in to an even layer over the lined baking sheet.

In a medium pot set over low heat, or in your microwave gently warm the honey so that it becomes more fluid.  Whisk the olive oil in to the warm honey along with the vanilla or vanilla balsamic.  It won’t emulsify, but that’s fine.

Evenly drizzle the honey-olive oil mixture over the oat and nuts on the baking sheet.  Toss everything gently to coat as much of the oats with honey and olive oil as possible.  Redistribute in to an even layer and pop in to the oven on the middle rack.

Every 10 minutes for about ½ hour, check and stir the granola, the honey and olive oil with continue to coat the remainder of the granola as you do this.  When the granola is fragrant and golden brown, remove it from the oven and stir it one last time to ensure even distribution of olive oil and honey.

Allow it to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

**Makes approximately 9 cups**