Taste Invader

There is nothing better than the smell of cinnamon, roasted nuts and toasted oatmeal baking on a snowy winter morning.  That alone is reason enough to try this recipe.  I have to admit, I never really thought that much about making my own granola, bars or cereal.  It seemed troublesome and, frankly, not quite worth the effort.  But I do love granola.  And I spent a lot of money on fancy and gourmet brands but was never really impressed.  I would find myself wanting more flavor, more fruit or different combinations of fruits, nuts and spice.

So I decided to give it a try.  My goal was to develop a simple, quick preparation and recipe that could easily be adjusted to different flavors, spices, sweeteners, fruit and nut combinations.

The base mixture for this granola is oatmeal, coconut, almond and wheat germ.  Everything else can be adjusted to your personal taste—the sweeteners, fruits and nuts.  Use the recipe as a guide for the amounts of each.  For example, I used 1 cup of raisins and 1 cup of cranberries or two cups of dried fruit total.  Use the two cups of dried fruit as a guide to create your own fruit combination.  The same applies for the nuts—½ cup flax seeds and ½ chopped nuts or 1 cup nuts total.

For the sweeteners, you can substitute honey for the maple syrup in the same amount.  The honey-roasted granola flavor is pretty amazing.  If you like your granola less sweet, you can use 2/3 cup of liquid sweetener and ¼ cup of brown sugar instead.  I have to say I am pretty fond of the sweet cereal-milk flavor myself…

The flax seeds I included to add texture, visual appeal and to enhance the flavor of the roasted nuts.  I also really like the mixed nut combination but have made the granola using only one nut, like walnut or pecan—equally as delicious.

The great thing about this recipe is it is completely flexible and allows you to combine the flavors you love in a very simple, satisfying and relatively healthy breakfast dish.

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

½ cup toasted wheat germ

½ cup flax seeds

½ cup chopped salted mixed nuts (cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup maple syrup, grade A dark amber

1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins

1 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a half sheet baking tray (18″ x 13″ x 1″) with parchment paper.

2.   Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

3.   Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ, flax seeds, cinnamon and chopped nuts.

4.   Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

5.   Place the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 5 minutes being careful that mixture does not boil over.

6.   Remove from heat and pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture and thoroughly mix, evenly coating all dry ingredients.

7.   Return the mixture to the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.

8.   Transfer the warm mixture to a large mixing bowl and crumble into smaller bite-sized pieces.  Mix in the raisins and cranberries.  Serve at room temperature.

~ by Taste Invader on February 10, 2010.

Posted in Breakfast