Thursday, September 27, 2007

Granola

I love granola but getting the good stuff is pretty pricey. I set about trying to make it myself, to see if that could make it any cheaper. It turned out delicious but, unfortunately, not much cheaper. I got the recipe from my friend Bowen, to whom I dedicate this post (but not this granola, unfortunately, as it has nuts and would kill her). I modified it a bit so if it doesn't turn out to your liking, blame me and not her. The most arduous part of the granola is getting all the ingredients... after that, it's too easy. This makes about 10 good size bowls.
Gather:
-3 cups of oats
-1 cup each sunflower and pumpkin seeds
-1/2 cup each walnuts, pecans, almonds, and sesame seeds
-1/4 cup flaxseed (linseed)
-1/2 cup shredded coconut
-1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
-5 tbsp honey
-1 tbsp blackcurrant jam (use any dark, sweet fruit-full jam)
-2 tbsp warm water
-1/2 tsp salt
-~1 tsp each cinnamon and vanilla (more or less pending on your tastes)
Cook:
-Mix it all in a large pot and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes or less-Place on a greased baking pan and bake 275F/160C for about 50-70 minutes (it should be crunchy and tasty)-Store in an airtight container. Tips:
-You can add a bit of brown sugar if you like a sweeter cereal
-The original recipe called for maple syrup instead of honey, but as I didn't have it I didn't use it... I bet it would be delicious if you used it
-Dried fruit (raisins, currants, cranberries, dates, etc) go fantastic with granola but, I read online, should be added individually with your bowl because if it's mixed in with the granola, it causes it to moisten a bit
-Enjoy in a big bowl with some fresh fruit, your favorite milk (I think soy milk + granola = heaven), and a bit of yogurt and thank me later

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

holy shit thats great. but yeah, the trufe is that its an economy of scale - if you were making, like, 50 pounds then it would be much cheaper. but not for a few servings