Slightly-Less-Sugary Coconut Granola

On the surface, granola should be good for you: fiber-filled oats, protein and filling fats from nuts, maybe some vitamins and antioxidants from fruit. But as pretty much any "healthy foods that are not actually healthy" list will tell you, granola is often a sugar bomb. For this recipe, the sweetness comes from maple syrup (which is kind of good for you, I swear!) and sweetened shredded coconut, which has enough sugar on its own to carry the show.

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups slivered almonds 
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut 
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
6-8 tablespoons flax seeds 
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4  teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Slowly melt coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well; combine oil and maple syrup separately, then pour over dry ingredients and stir until evenly coated. Spread mixture over 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes and rotating pans to achieve an even color.