Early Bird Farmhand’s Choice Granola Recipe

Remember when I wrote about my love for Nounos Creamery yogurt with Early Bird granola and hemp seeds? (If not, you can check out the post here). The granola and yogurt addiction was getting a tad expensive (each Nounos yogurt is $2.50 and Early Bird Granola is $10.99/bag, which I try to make last two weeks but that doesn’t always end up working). Well, I looked up the recipe for Early Bird Farmhand’s Choice granola and it is so easy to make that I went to the grocery store and farmer’s market and ended up making my own! I’ve already made two batches and it tastes identical – actually, it tastes better because I feel like I’m saving money every time I eat my own instead of buying a new bag. The recipe doesn’t include that many ingredients – nuts, oats, sugars, coconut, olive oil and salt. It actually took longer for my oven to reach 300 degrees than it took for me to prep the ingredients!

To start, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl (oats, raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, coconut shreds, salt, and pecans):

Then add the wet ingredients and the brown sugar to the dry (olive oil, brown sugar and maple syrup):

Mix all of the ingredients together and make sure everything is evenly coated:

Place on a cookie sheet:

And into a 300 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes. You have to take the granola out every 10 minutes to stir so it doesn’t burn:

Once you take the granola out, you can add the coarse sea salt – the granola tastes exactly the same as Early Bird and it’s much less expensive than buying it in stores! Here’s the recipe (from Nekisia Davis, the Early Bird Granola creator, herself!)

Farmhand’s Choice Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup raw sunflower seeds, hulled
1 cup coconut chips
1 1/4 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
Coarse salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes. Remove granola from oven and season with salt. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.