Honey and Pecan Granola

Now I don't know about you but there isn't an hour that goes by when I don't think about food (she says eating a toasted chocolate orange hot cross bun) and when I am lying in bed at 11 o clock - you see if I go to bed any later than 10 my tummy thinks it should be fed for working over time - what nicer thing to think about that a scrumptious breakfast waiting for me in the morning. The thought of my honey and pecan granola certainly sees me into a happy sleep!

Ingredients

150g jumbo rolled oats
150g your basic rolled oats (I use Tesco every day value and despite common misconceptions these own brand oats are delightful and wonderfully versatile!)
150ml apple juice
50g sugar (more or less to taste - last time I made with only a sprinkling of sugar and it is still heavenly)
50g flaked almonds

50g pecans
2 tbsp honey (+ 1 tbsp to toast pecans in)
4 tbsp sunflower oil
large handful of sultanas (less or more depending on preference)
2 tsp ground cinnamon 

Firstly preheat oven to 160 degrees c and toast pecans in a dry frying pan with 1 tbsp of honey and 1 tsp of ground cinnamon for about 7 minutes or until they begin to brown - be very careful though as I find they go 'raw' to burned in a blink of an eye.
In a large mixing bowl combine 150g jumbo rolled oats, 150g basic rolled oats (please don't use 300g of these ones they are too small to form the nice big clumps one hopes to have a bowl full of!), sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, apple juice, 2 tbsp honey and sunflower oil and mix to a gooey consistency. Then add your honeyed pecans and flaked almonds and mix in well. Transfer the whole mixture into a large roasting tin and place on the middle or lower shelf of your oven (my oven is funny so I place mine half way between the two!). Bake for 45 minutes to an hour but make sure you turn the mixture at least every 15 minutes to avoid some bits being crunchier than others.
Leave to cool before adding the sultanas (and any other dried fruit you make want to add) and make sure the granola has cooled COMPLETELY before transferring into an air tight jar or the jar will become moist and make your granola soggy. I enjoy mine with a sliced banana, a splash of milk and a drizzle of honey. If you are in a rush on a morning you could create a to go version in a plastic pot or rinsed jam jar with a dollop of yoghurt :)
This recipe will create enough for a weeks worth of breakfasts.

Note: As a student pecans are far too expensive to buy regularly so next time I will try with either hazelnuts or cashew nuts, check back to see how I get on!