Katie Lee Joel's homemade Granola recipe

Celebrity chef Katie Lee Joel speaks about new recipes in a recent issue of Domino magazine. She was a former host of Top Chef on Bravo and you may know her as pop singer Billy Joel's wife.

"Store-bought granola can be fattening, and if I want a fattening breakfast. I will have pancakes!" says Joel.

Joel shares her recipe to overcome this problem. If stored in an airtight container, it will keep for months.

Granola 

Recipe courtesy Katie Lee Joel 

Yields 8 cups (10-12 servings) 

Ingredients 

3 cups oats 

½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds hulled 

½ cup unsalted pumpkin seeds hulled 

½ cup flaked coconut 

¼ cup wheat germ 

1 - ½ cups mixed unsalted chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, etc.) 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter or canola oil 

1 / 3 cup pure maple syrup 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots, figs, plums, etc)

Preheat to 350 º. In a large bowl, mix the oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, cinnamon and salt. In a small saucepan melt the butter in the maple syrup over low heat. Stir in vanilla. Add to oat mixture. Add 2 tablespoons water and stir until well combined. The spread granola evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring at intervals of 10 minutes to ensure uniformity of cooking, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in the pan. Stir in dried fruits.