"Someone shared this recipe with me and I adjusted it to my and my family's liking. It's easy to make and provides a nice snack option than the other items that seem to fill up my pantry!"
1Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2Stir the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Meanwhile, combine the rolled oats, pecans, almonds, raisins, cranberries, and sunflower seeds in a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot maple syrup over top, and stir until evenly mixed. Spread onto prepared baking sheet.
3Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, scrape onto a cold baking sheet, and cool to room temperature. Break into clumps and stir in the chocolate covered peanuts once cool.
Footnotes
Cook's Notes
You can substitute many of the ingredients if you'd like. I tried many combinations before settling on this one. Here are some suggestions:
Use golden raisins instead of red raisins (the taste is similar, but the golden raisins add a nice color). Substitute peeled hazelnuts for pecans. Substitute shelled pumpkin seeds for sunflower kernels. Use 1 cup of almonds, 1 cup of honey-roasted peanuts and 1 cup of regular M&M's(R). Substitute other types of sweets for the M&M's(R), such as chocolate covered pretzels or Reese's(R) Pieces.