Family Cooking Club's Crunchy Granola

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C for a conventional oven or 180°C for a fan oven.

2. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

3. To crush the nuts, put them in a pestle and mortar. Press and twist the pestle (the stick) to break them into smaller pieces, but not too small – you still want some chunky pieces. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, put the nuts in a Ziplock bag, seal it closed and gently bash them with a rolling pin, which is still fun!

4. Put the crushed nuts, oats, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir together.

5. Put the maple syrup or honey, oil and vanilla in a separate small bowl or measuring jug and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir everything together.

6. Spread the mixture evenly onto the lined baking tray, then press it down firmly with a spatula.

7. Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Using oven gloves, carefully remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wooden chopping board or on the hob to protect your countertop. Use a spatula to stir the granola, then spread it back out in an even layer and put it back in the oven to cook for 10 more minutes.

8. Use oven gloves again to remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wire rack. Let the granola cool completely, then add the mixed dried fruit. Use clean hands to break up any big clumps of granola and mix in the fruit.

9. Put your granola in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to two weeks.