Cinnamon, Walnut, Chocolate Chip Granola

Two reasons I love making a recipe like this:
1. Right now, I'm challenging myself and clients to cut down on added sugars. When you're looking for a good cereal at the grocery store, you'll notice they almost all have added sugar, unhealthy/cheap oils, and other random, unidentifiable ingredients. This is totally unnecessary, you can make an amazing cereal without it (and it doesn't take that much skill either). 
2. I love baking as an activity, but sometimes I avoid it just because I know I won't be able to resist the piles of cookies in my kitchen afterwards. Granola is a fun way to keep up with baking without having mounds of desserts staring at me.

Why this recipe? I love it because its simple and flexible - you've got a solid base but you can mess around with the kind of nuts and dried fruit you want, the amount of oil you add (do you want it super clustery? Just add a bit more.), and add extras in like chocolate chips, etc. I usually base this on whatever nuts and fruits happen to already be lying around in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts*
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup chia seeds*
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup raisins*

Wet:

• 3/4 cup melted coconut oil*
• 4 tablespoons natural sweetener of choice (honey, agave, maple syrup)

Notes:

* Substitute almonds, pecans, pistachios, or a combination of any of the above.
*Chia seeds add a cool texture, plus they have tons of health benefits. 
* Substitute any dried fruit, but remember to chop roughly if its something larger like apricots, etc.
*For clumpier granola, increase coconut oil to about 1 cup.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly combine all dry ingredients except the raisins - set those aside.
3. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine all wet ingredients, then add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.
4. Spread the mixture in thin, even layer across a cookie sheet. Bake for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes. During the last 20 minutes, add the raisins or dried fruit of choice. 
5. Remove the granola, allow it to cool BEFORE you stir it or move it from the pan at all. This will allow it to cluster. If you are choosing to add chocolate chips, wait until the granola has cooled completely to combine. 
6. Optional - divide into smaller bags so you don't eat it all immediately. Serve with yogurt or milk and fruit.