Yesterday I made something so delicious, easy and amazing that I can't help but share it with you.
It's: GRANOLA!
I had this yesterday on top of yogurt as a snack.
I had it this morning with some milk for breakfast.
How have I never tried this before? IT'S SO EASY TO MAKE! Get ready to have your world rocked.
If you've been reading my blog since the beginning, then you probably remember this post AND this post where I explained how I feel about packaged foods, preservatives and the like. The great thing about making ANYTHING from scratch is that you can control exactly what goes in it. Not to mention, it's usually cheaper than buying it at the store.
To form the base of the granola you will need:
1 C Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 TBS Honey (I used local honey)
3TBS Vegetable Oil (not olive oil- it has to be a light oil, otherwise the granola will have a weird taste)
As for other ingredients, granola is totally customizable! It's part of what I love about it.
Here's what I put in mine:
1/3 C Chopped Dates
1/4 C Chopped Almonds*
3 TBS Flaked Coconut
*Just because I always have them in the house, I used almonds roasted with dark cocoa powder in this. I think that the cocoa powder worked really well with the coconut, but I'm sure any kind of chopped nuts would have worked equally well. Also, none of these measurements in the second half are exactly exact, so feel free to play around with them.
What else could you use?
Chopped walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds... the list is really endless.
In fact, I have a second batch in the oven right now with raisins and a hint of cinnamon.
Let your creativity run wild!
Toss all ingredients together, spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes (or until mix turns golden brown (stirring occasionally)
If you are using dried fruit of any kind, you can either add it to the mixture before baking or right after the mix comes out of the oven. Cooking the dried fruit will bring out the sugars but will also dry the fruit out more giving it a chewey texture. If you'd rather, you can stir any dried fruit in when the granola comes out of the oven, while it is still warm.
Enjoy!
I love granola! I need to make this pronto. Is there a difference between rolled oats and quick oats? I always wonder
ReplyDeleteThey are essentially the same thing, but quick oats are more processed than the Old Fashioned rolled oats- they have certain additives which enable them to cook faster. In recipes like oatmeal cookies using Quick oats can change the texture of the final product because the oats won't hold their shape as well. I think with granola- since it's just baked and not mixed with water- you could probably use either, although I haven't personally tried it. I've also heard that the Old Fashioned rolled have a more nutty flavor when toasted, which works really well with granola. :]
ReplyDeleteawesome. I will definitely be making granola. Last night I made a banana baked oatmeal for breakfasts and every time I eat it I just think of Cape May.
ReplyDelete