Molasses and Pecan Granola

This granola is great eaten by the handful or topped with low-fat milk. The milk takes on a sweet, nutty flavor from the molasses and spices, perhaps the best “cereal milk” ever.

By Stephanie Jane Carter / Photography By Matthew Noel | December 15, 2014

Ingredients

4 cups thick-cut (old-fashioned) rolled oats
¼ cups wheat germ
2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
¼ cup brown sugar
2 cups Louisiana pecans
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup molasses (not blackstrap), such as Steen’s
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cups dried fruit, such as cranberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruit. In a separate bowl, whisk together molasses, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. I like to use gloves and mix it with my hands.

Pile all the granola onto 1 cookie sheet and bake it in the oven. Stir often, about every 10–15 minutes, until the mixture is golden brown (about 45 minutes). The granola will not be crunchy when you remove it from the oven. After it cools, and becomes crunchy, mix in the dried fruit.