I never thought that I’d see the day when I actually craved granola, but I crave this granola. This is one of those recipes that, at first, makes you think, “Yah, it’s granola. What’s the big deal?” But then all of the different flavors — toasted nuts, caramelized fruit, a slight saltiness, and a hint of maple and cinnamon — hit your taste buds and you just keep eating and eating. Well, that’s what I do, anyway. B actually requests this granola for breakfast on a regular basis, and he’s not really a granola kind of guy.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s incredibly versatile, and it doesn’t call for any oil aside from what you use to spray the cookie sheet. You can use different types of nuts (I try to mix in at least one type of salted nut to get a better play between sweet and salty), mix in whatever dried fruit that you have on hand (my favorite combo is dried pineapple and dried cranberries), and add your choice of spices to customize it to your tastes. Pepitas, pumpkin seasoning, and dried cranberries and candied ginger would make a great autumn mix. Mmm…I might have to try that myself, though I need to get some gluten free oats in order to be able to eat more than a handful.
adapted from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger
Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried blueberries
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. For easy cleanup, line the baking sheet with aluminum foil or oven parchment before spraying.
2. In a medium bowl, or on the baking sheet itself, combine all ingredients, coating everything with maple syrup. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Posted in Food, Quick and Easy | 2 Comments »
Would that be half a cup of maple syrup?
posted: August 3rd, 2009 at 11:55 amYes, Fi, it is half a cup. I’ve corrected it above; thanks for letting me know!
posted: August 9th, 2009 at 2:53 pm