sunday morning granola

good morning and welcome back from a nice long weekend. I hope everyone had a chance to relax and take full advantage of having three days off from work. I still worked... but, I also baked, and baked, and baked some more.
my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. during the week I eat oatmeal every morning with a combination of things mixed in it. this morning I had peaches, vanilla, and honey. however, while I love my oatmeal, my favorite thing about the weekend is being able to prepare a nice, big breakfast. pancakes, scones, biscuits, vegetarian breakfast sausage, fruit tarts... granola.
I've been on the quest for finding the perfect granola. I'm always a big fan of bulk store bought granola, and since it's easier than whipping up a big batch, I tend to stick to that. but making a big batch of the most tasty perfect delightful granola has always been on my mind. so I searched and searched until I found something that I felt was just right, and here it is:

Sunday Morning Granola
serve granola with milk or yogurt and sliced fresh fruit.
the recipe is totally adaptable. substitute any combination of nuts or dried fruits for a completely different experience.
makes about 6 cups

:: for granola ::
2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup whole pecans, halved
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup pumpkins seeds
1/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tbsp honey
1 cup (packed) dried organic cherries, cut into quarters

• preheat oven to 300°F.
• mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl.
• melt butter with honey in heavy small saucepan over low heat. pour over granola mixture and toss well. spread out mixture on baking sheet.
• bake 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• add cherries; mix to separate any clumps. continue to bake until granola is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes longer. cool.
• can be made 2 weeks ahead. store airtight at room temperature.

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