mix and munch

I like to think I am a pretty food savvy girl. I really do. Ask me to make just about anything...and I can. I also manage to have my own ideas and make up my own recipes from time to time. So how is it that I have never managed to think of the idea of making my own granola...until now?

See...it's something that I have always loved - in every shape and form. In post after post, I've prattled on about my love of things that combine crunchy, salty, sweet, and sour. Ummm...hello?  That's the very definition of granola! I had been spoiled by the stuff that Big Sky Bread Company makes...but surely I could at least come close to that level of yumminess.

I honestly didn't know where to start...so I hit the Internet looking for a recipe I felt I could build on and customize. I also wanted to try and eliminate some of the so-bad-but-thats-what-makes-it-taste-so-good parts of most of the recipes I had come across.

Katie Lee Joel (I still don't know what I think about her but her granola is darned yummy, so at least there is that) contributed a recipe to Domino  that looked like a good springboard for making my own flavor combination. I omitted the coconut - I'm kind of meh about it - and mixed up my own recipe using dried papaya, dried cranberries, and cashews. This stuff was delicious - and I was able to bake it a crispier level of doneness than most commercially-available granola. You can seriously use any mixture of fruits and nuts with the base of this granola and come out a winner - my next batch is going to have dried blueberries and almonds in it, for sure.

Katie Lee Joel's Low-Fat Granola - makes 8 cups - recipe originally found here

    * 3 cups rolled oats
    * ½ cup unsalted hulled sunflower seeds
    * ½ cup unsalted hulled pumpkin seeds
    * ½ cup flaked coconut
    * ¼ cup wheat germ
    * 1 ½ cups chopped unsalted mixed nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, etc.)
    * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    * 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter or canal oil
    * 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
    * 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    * 1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots, figs, prunes, etc.)

- Preheat over to 350º. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, cinnamon, and salt. In a small saucepan melt butter in the maple syrup over low heat. Stir in the vanilla. Add to the oat mixture. Add 2 tablespoons water and stir until well combined. Spread the granola evenly on a large baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring at 10-minute intervals to ensure uniform baking, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool in the pan. Stir in the dried fruits. Store in an air-tight container.

 

Comments

[RecipeGirl]

I'm with you... I recently discovered how wonderful homemade granola is and can't believe I had never tried making it sooner!

Your (Katie's) version sounds wonderful. I'm a little iffy about coconut too.

[ann]

This recipe looks so great, I really hate to be the one to mention that it's actually 60% fat! There's just no way to have all those yummy nuts & seeds without stacking up the fat grams... My count on this (using fitday.com) came to 455 calories, and a whopping 32g fat per 1 C serving. Obviously you could cut that to a 1/2 C serving, but 16g of fat is still going to do a number on your day's intake!

I'm bummed, b/c it looks soooo good!

[Hilary]

I love that photo! YUM.

[Megan]

this photo caught my eye-looks like some great granola! any version that has that much dried fruit is definitely a winner in my book :)

[hannah]

Hello!

I love your blog! My name is Hannah Huffines and I represent Concentrics Restaurants and Whynatte Latte (soon to launch!). I would love to include you in our Whynatte Latte media sneak taste event this November 13th. What email would you prefer I send the invite to? Let me know at hannah@whynatte.com or 678.488.2909.

Cheers,

[Nikki]

I don't know how I feel about Katie Lee Joel either, Tami. I've never made granola...I'll have to book mark this and see what happens.

[Haley]

What a great photo! Then again, all of your photos look wonderful!

I'm not a coconut fan either, but this recipe sounds great!

[Lars@grydeskeen]

Yummy, so easy, so delicious.

Coconut should be eaten raw, or shredded in cakes. Not baked alone.

Looking forward to your next post.. whenever that will be.

[Emily]

Hi Tami,
You should let your readers know that Bren Hererra is giving away stuff on her blog, including a pressure cooker and chocolate ganache. The link is:
http://www.flanboyanteats.com/cooking_recipes/since-im-not-doing-any-shopping-im-giving-5-major-fave-things-away-this-christmas/