Originating as a healthy breakfast cereal at health spas in the late 19th century, granola’s popularity waned until the 60’s hippies embraced it as an alternative to processed foods. Can you dig it? At the Woodstock festival in 1969, volunteers made it for festival goers, further identifying the product, as we would say, “far out.” Cool as it was though, entrepreneur Layton Gentry jumped at the chance to sell out to the man in 1972, and thus was born the modern version of this pantry staple, which can be healthy, but is more often sugary, and/or high fat. Bummer, man.
My son turned me on to this recipe a while ago, and I’ve always got a jar in the fridge ready to top my morning oatmeal. It’s also great on yogurt/fruit parfait, and adds a nice crunch to ice cream. Think fresh peaches with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream, topped with the nice crunch of granola. Summer can’t get here fast enough for that! When the grandkids come to visit we often make a batch and sprinkle it on our yogurt parfaits, achieving grandma’s goals of teaching them to cook and eat healthy. Lastly, friends always appreciate a home made treat, so when you bake a batch, consider gifting a jar full of granola goodness for your bestie!
Easy Granola
Yield: 6 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1.5 hours
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup pecans
1 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar, loose pack
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. In large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar. Be sure to break up any nuggets of brown sugar.
3. In a separate smaller bowl, combine syrup, oil, and salt. Then pour into the dry mix and stir until all the ingredients are moist.
4. Divide the mixture onto two half sheet pans. If you want the granola to be “sprinkly” then use a spatula to stir it around the pan every 15 minutes. If you want it to be more chunky, then just leave it alone. I like to rotate my pans every 15 minutes for even browning, especially if you’re stirring them.
5. Bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool down on the pans before transferring to storage containers. If you’re going to add dried fruits, then remove from the oven and transfer to a large mixing bowl, add the fruit and stir. Let cool before transferring to storage container and store in the fridge.
Granola three ways: Yogurt parfait, crunchy clusters, and gifting granola
There are lots of granola variations available from The Chopping Block, including this low-calorie version. And here’s one for Honey Nut. And here’s one using matzo.
Whether it’s granola in a jar or brunch around the table, cooking has a way of turning everyday moments into shared ones. If you’d like to start Valentine’s Day cooking something special with someone you love, our Hands-On Bubbly Brunch class is a delicious way to do it. Only two spots are available!
