Pistachio & Cherry Granola

It would not be an Autumn Hawthorne stay without making a batch of granola. I find it so comforting to make. Plus I like the idea of making changes to past recipes and seeing if the tweaks improve things. This time I added half of things initially and then added the remaining half at the midway baking point. That way the pistachios and pepitas and sunflower seeds along with the dried cherries would have some variation in the roasting time, adding a bit of variation in their flavor in the granola when all was done. I quite liked mixing it up a bit. By all means, not necessary at all. Add everything right at the start if you like, to keep things super easy. 

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

3/4 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pepitas

1/2 cup pistachios

Oven to 300 degrees with the rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl add the olive oil, syrup, vanilla and salt. Mix together. Then add in the oats. With a wooden spoon mix all together until the oats are thoroughly coated. I chopped half the pistachios and leave the other half whole. Put in the chopped pistachios, half of the pepitas, half of the sunflower seeds, and half of the dried cherries. Give a good mix so things are incorporated.

Spread out evenly on the parchment paper. Put in oven for 15 minutes. Take out and mix around and put in for another 15 minutes, spreading the rest of everything left over into the mixture. Cooking time is 30 minutes total. It will all continue to cook once you take it out and let the entire lot cool. Break up and put into jars or baggies once cooled. Enjoy!