Granola Two Ways

In the midst of a very busy week here at the end of the term, I decided that I needed to make something for the picnic given for students in my major. Last names beginning with A-H were designated to bring desserts, and since we are in a health-related field, I had the perfect thing - granola! I even have a go-to recipe for granola that I found and used this summer with great results. Unfortunately, this time granola wasn't so easy... I ended up with granola two ways: 1) Burnt and Bitter 2) Golden Brown and Just Right

(Is it A or B, 1 or 2...)

A1

B2


If you matched Burnt and Bitter with A1, you just won this! If you matched Burnt and Bitter to B2, well, we've only got these for you, one in every color.

Anywho, I followed the recipe, I swear I did! I toasted the nuts beforehand. I mixed the nuts and oats together and coated with honey and oil. I even preheated the oven to 300 degrees and stirred the mixture every ten minutes. I guess sometimes even when you follow the directions, things don't turn out just right... This batch of granola was CRAP! (roll the "r" in the preceding word for the emphasis I would like to achieve through typing) Sure, the color was great. Sure, it smelled good. Sure, I couldn't resist popping some of the visibly burnt pieces into my mouth only to roast my tastes buds to smithereens. I had followed every line of the recipe perfectly. Still, this batch was bad news!

No one wants burned nuts. They taste like bitter paper.

As I looked down at the mess, I thought of salvaging it. "The oats don't taste that bad, and I didn't toast the almonds beforehand, so maybe I can pick out all 20 of them... Hmm... there are a LOT of pecans in here. I don't think I can quite, OUCH, pick, OWW, out the burnt ones." Separating oats from nuts in a nut-heavy load of granola=virtually impossible. I tried. You only end up with burnt taste buds (i.e. tongue) and reddened, almost-burned finger tips. It's not worth the time or trouble. Instead, throw the first batch in the trashcan. Just go back into the pantry and start over again. You learn a lot from your mistakes and the second batch will be far better (even though you can't really taste it due to the burned taste budes mentioned above.) I quickly recovered my blunder and whipped up a new batch. This time I did not pre-toast the nuts. They get enough toasting in the 30 minutes in the oven. I did, however, add in some steel-cut oats to this batch, just to experiement a little bit with texture. My result was stunning. A perfect golden brown granola with lightly toasted nuts and a crunchy texture. The honey makes the granola just sweet enough. Plus, the addition of dried fruit at the end leaves the granola plump and ready to fuel the energy hungry!




Paul (a faithful blog reader, dare I say #1 fan???) enjoyed the granola, and so will you!

Granola is a great staple to keep around for breakfast, snacks, yogurt and ice cream topping, etc. And the beauty of it is that you can put in it any nuts and dried fruits you want!

Adapted from a Slashfoods recipe:

Granola:

2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup peanut or almonds (I always use almonds)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 toasted sunflower seeds (do not need to pre-toast)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (I omit this as many people do not like coconut)
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (didn't have any on hand, so didn't use it)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried fruit (apricots, craisins, cherries, apples, pears, peaches, etc.)
scant 1/4 cup oil (I used canola, do not use olive oil)
1/2 cup honey (I use local honey, which has a rich, dark flavor)

1. Mix the oat, nuts and grains in a large bowl.
2. Measure oil into the measuring cup and swirl it around before pouring into bowl.
3. Then measure out the honey in the same, unwashed cup. The oil will help the honey exit the cup.
4. Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a baking pan. I use a large roasting pan, as it keeps everything contained. A cookie sheet with a lip also works, but you have to stir it slightly more carefully if you use that.
5. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, turning it with a spatula every ten minutes or so. You want everything to be an even golden brown.
6. When it is finished cooking, returned the baked granola to the mixing bowl, add the raisins and fruit and stir to combine. Stir gently several times as it cooks, so that it doesn't clump together too much.
7. Enjoy!