I am no Euell Gibbons when it comes to nuts and berries, but
I am crazy about granola. I love it on
my morning yogurt, by the handful as a quick snack, or even as an ice cream
topping. What I’m not crazy about is the
price of granola. Paying $7 for a small
bag of granola seems pretty silly once you realize how easy it is to make. It’s also something you can customize to your
exact taste with the addition of nuts and dried fruits, whether bought in the supermarket
or foraged in the wild.
This recipe comes from the Garland Lodge in Sedona, Arizona
and can be found in their cookbook “Sharing
the Table at Garland’s Lodge” by Amanda Stine and Mary Garland. I think you will find this granola to be
quite addictive, incredibly quick and simple to make and with just the right
balance of sweetness to offset the nuttiness found in the oats and nuts. I used almond butter in my granola, but you
can use peanut butter if you don’t want to spend the extra money.
This granola is quite attractive, with a beautiful caramelized
color, and is a perfect gift to friends and family in a holiday tin or canning
jar with a big, festive bow.
Garland Lodge Granola
14 Cups Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats (not quick cooking oats)
3 Cups chopped mixed nuts (one cup each of walnuts, pecans
and almonds)1 Cup Sesame Seeds
1 ½ Cups Almond Butter, or Almond Butter and Peanut Butter mixed, or plain Peanut Butter (as a last resort)
2/3 Cup Honey
1 Cup Maple Syrup (check the label to make sure it is maple syrup and not corn or another type of syrup)
2/3 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Toast the oats in the oven in 2 to 3-inch deep baking pans
for 30 minutes. Add the chopped nuts and
toast for another 30 minutes. Stir
occasionally and rotate the pans in the oven as the top pan will brown more
quickly. The idea is to toast it all
lightly to bring out the nutty flavors before adding the wet ingredients. When done, put the oats and nuts mixture into
a large mixing bowl.
Whisk the nut butter, honey, syrup, and oil together in a
large saucepan. Heat until very hot and
smooth, and then add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to the oats and nuts mixture and toss
until the mixture is evenly coated. Then
back into the baking pans and toast at 300 degrees for another half hour,
turning the granola mixture every 10 to 15 minutes and rotating the pans as
needed. The goal is to cook it slowly
until the granola is a deep golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool in the baking pans, breaking up
any large chunks. When cool, put into
tight sealing plastic containers or glass jars.
Granola Parfait: Layer granola in a parfait glass with berries
and yogurt.
Granola with Dried
Fruit: Add 3 to 4 cups raisins,
dried cherries, cranberries or other dried fruit to the toasted and cooled
granola for a nice addition of texture and color.
Mmm this sounds & looks delicious. I would LOVE to get this granola as a Christmas gift!
ReplyDeleteI love granola's. It is so simple to make and a great gift :)
ReplyDelete