Pumpkin Coconut Crunch Granola

Warm weather fun is just around the corner...  One of my favorite breakfasts on the go is yogurt and granola!  There are tons of granola recipes all over the web.  But one day I stumbled upon the recipe from A Couple Cooks, and they had broken granola down to a mathematical formula.  This was perfect!  It would allow me to create MY favorite mix of elements than trying to combine various recipes.  I had wanted to re-create my seasonal favorite Trader Joe's pumpkin granola but add a few touches to it as well.

For me a good granola is one that has lots of crispy crunchies.  In fact the Trader Joe's one that I love has large corn puffs mixed in with the oats.  The second element that I like is really chewy raisins or other fruit.  Some recipes like to add those in after baking, but I like them to shrivel in the oven more and bake in extra goodness.  I also tried to add in some Flax Seeds, since they are a great source of Omega 3's as well as provide you with a lot of antioxidants. 

Pumpkin Coconut Crunch Granola
loosely adapted from A Couple Cooks

2 cups Corn Pops
4 cups Oats
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisin, craisins, dried raspberries, etc)

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl mix all of the dried ingredients except the coconut and mix till evenly dispersed. 
2.  In a separate bowl mix vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, honey and pumpkin butter.  Spoon wet mixture over dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated. 
3.  Spread onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes till golden brown.  Stir mixture every 15 minutes, lowering oven temperature if the mixture is browning too quickly.  Add the coconut in during the last 15 minutes. 
4.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Store in air tight container.

Sometimes I munch on this plain with some Almond milk, but I love it with yogurt or on an Acai Bowl!