Date Sweetened Granola

Thus is a yummy granola.  Sweet without being sickly sweet. My sister loves this recipe. She probably makes it even more often than I do.


Natural Sugar Granola

1 cup chopped dates (not the pre-chopped kind, they have sugar on them)
1 cup water
8 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 cups shredded coconut
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup real maple syrup (or you can use apple juice concentrate)
1 T. cinnamon (heaped)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Or click here to see my instructions for dehydrating granola, less mess and preserves the raw goodness of nuts and seeds.
In a small saucepan, combine the dates and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture forms a thick paste. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and coconut. Spread on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes until lightly toasted.
Return oat mixture to bowl. Mix together date paste, maple syrup, cinnamon and oil. Pour over oat mixture, add almonds and mix well.
Reduce oven heat to 275'. Spread mixture on baking sheet and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned.
Granola will be crisper when cool.
Store in airtight container and enjoy!
You can add raisins or other dried fruit. If you choose to do this add them after mixture is done baking.