Granola "sweetened with honey"

This week has been an exciting week for us. I got a job at Sprinkle's Cupcakery, which is a step closer to by dream. I may only be selling cupcakes, but being around a bakery is heaven to me. So I cannot wait to start that job and hopefully get some inspiration for my posts as well. I am also so happy to say that this week we finally invested in making a backdrop for my photos! It is most definitely not a fancy one but it will do for now and in my opinion, it makes shooting food way easier. We got three white pieces of cardboard and basically made a backdrop with two walls. One to be a backdrop and one to reflect sunlight. I will admit that I do not have the skill in taking photographs so I have passed that on to my husband Kyle. He has found a liking toward photography so I am letting him fully have the reigns on this one and he couldn't be happier that we got this backdrop to make it a little easier for food photography. The trickiest thing that we have experienced in food photography is the lighting. If the lighting is too dim or too bright it completely ruins the photograph, yet it is hard to find that middle balance. Although I must say, with a white backdrop, the lighting sort of just falls into perfect place. 

This by far is one of the easiest, simplest recipes, but it is a favorite in our house. We use granola on everything. On oatmeal, yogurt, for cereal...well you get the point. We love it. With no added sugar, it is a much better option then sugary cereal or store bought granola. Store bought granola usually has a mix of maple syrup, honey, and canola oil; this one only uses honey. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile. You can omit and add anything you would like. My favorite mixture is the one below but I have added pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, all spice, apricots, pecans, and other random things to mine before. Basically what I do for this recipe is go pantry shopping. What I mean by that is that the great thing about this granola is that you can use anything in your pantry. If all you have is walnuts, craisans, and cinnamon; well there you go, you have a perfect granola. Don't be afraid to experiment with this recipe. If you like your granola more sticky then you can add a tablespoon of maple syrup to it. 

Granola "sweetened with honey"

for the granola:

3 cups steel cut oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup craisans 

1 cup flax seed

1 cup almonds, chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350º F. 

In a large bowl mix the oats, coconut, craisans, flax seed, almonds, walnuts, and cinnamon. Heat the honey for about 45 seconds in a microwave safe bowl. Stir into dry ingredients and incorporate using your hands. Make sure everything is coated with honey. 

Transfer to a baking sheet, preferably lined with a silicone mat. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes. Use your judgement here. If at 25 minutes it is looking pretty golden, take it out. It does continue to cook for a minute or too after you take it out of the oven. Remove when it starts to get golden all the way through.