Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Okay, don't tell anyone but I've never tried granola until yesterday. My friend offered some to me and it was so bland. $2.50 for a tiny cup form Whole Foods. I made the granola recipe from "Flour" and I thought it was "eh". I was surprised since it has a boatload of ingredients. Does anyone have a flavorful granola recipe? Thanks so much!

Lu

I love the Pam Anderson recipe that was in the NYT a few years back. It has lots of variations. I never add the dried fruit while baking, I add it to the granola as needed. I mix up the variations and do a cocnut/almond mix with vanilla/almond extract/cinnamon and add a 1/4 cup or so of flax meal.
On a side note, wheat germ (and bran) is much easier to find and way cheaper in Canada than in the US. I get a large (10 cups or so) for less than $2. I had sticker shock when I spotted it in a US store.

Lu,

Here's my adapted version of Marion Cunnigham's recipe. It takes a long time, but is super-simple to do. I have not yet tried Smitten Kitchen's recipe, which I'm willing to bet is also very good.

4 cups rolled oats
4 cups of rye, barley, or wheat flakes, or a mix.
1 cup neutral vegetable oil (canola/safflour/etc)
1 cup honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup unsalted nuts, any of the following or a mix: walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts (optional)
1/4 cup sesame seeds (optional)
1 cup small dried fruit of your choice (optional)

Heat the honey until it is very liquid, and mix with the oil. Put the oats and flakes in a large bowl. Pour the honey and oil over these. Sprinkle on the salt and spices. Mix thouroughly.

Spread the mixture on foil in a thin layer (3/4" or less) on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 300°F oven for about 30 to 45 minutes, or until the flakes begin to look golden, turning the cereal every 10 to 15 minutes with a spoon or a spatula.

If using raw nuts, add them after 20 minutes and cook at least another 15 minutes. If nuts are roasted, add them 5 minutes before the granola is done. If using the sesame seeds, add them also at 5 minutes before done.

Put the granola pan in a dry place to cool and crisp. Mix in the dried fruit, if using, after it cools. Store the granola in plastic bags or an airtight container. Use within a month or store in the freezer.

I, too, have been using Pam Anderson's recipe for longer than I can remember.

Great Granola

I love a recipe I adapted from Nigella's recipe. It has minimal amounts of sugar and fat. I don't even bother to add dried fruit to it. I stopped making it because i could not keep myself from eating way more than I should. My favorite was with a bit of yogurt and fresh blueberries. Here it is in case anyone wants it.

EXPORTED FROM LIVING COOKBOOK

ALINA'S GRANOLA*****

Original used toasted nuts, but untoasted works better for me. Original added 2 cups raisins or other dried fruit. Can use Lyle syrup instead of Sweet Dreams Brown Rice Syrup (Lyle's has 25 more calories per TBS.) Original used 100G light brown sugar.


Oven Temperature: 300°F

Servings: 20
Yield: Makes 10 cups 2.5 litres

Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour Inactive Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes Total Time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

DRY INGREDIENTS:
500 g. rolled oats 5 cups
250 g. slivered almonds or toasted 2 to 3 cups
120 g. hulled raw sunflower seeds 1 cup
120 g. sesame seeds ¾ cup
50 g. brown sugar Splenda 6 TBS.
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. sea salt
WET INGREDIENTS:
175 ml unsweetened apple juice or sauce ¾ cup
120 g. brown rice syrup ⅓ cup
4 TBS. honey ¼ cup
2 TBS. sunflower or coconut oil (optional)

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients using clean hands. Add all the wet ingredients. Using 2 rigid spatulas, stir to mix well.

Spread the mixture evenly on two rimmed baking sheets. 2. Spread on baking sheets and bake at 300˚ oven turning over halfway through the baking and redistributing the granola evenly during the baking process. The object is to get it evenly golden without toasting too much in any one place. This should take anything from about 40 minutes to 60 minutes (till evenly golden, after one turning).Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Set a timer to go off every ten minutes while the granola bakes, so you can rotate the pans and give the granola a good stir; this helps it to cook evenly. When it’s ready, remove the pans from the oven, stir well - this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet - and set aside to cool. The finished granola may still feel slightly soft when it comes out of the oven, but it will crisp as it cools.

Scoop cooled granola into to a large zipper-lock plastic bag or other airtight container. Store in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Recipe Type: ALINA'S ADAPTATION, Almonds, Breakfast and Brunch Foods, Granola, Nigella Lawson, Nuts, Oats, Splenda

Author: Mine
Source: Adapted from recipe by Nigella Lawson
Web Page: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/and ... ranola-138

Fwiw, Ina also has a good one. I'm going to try the ones posted, thanks

I've been making variations on a master recipe that I adapted from CI July/August 1994.

Basic Granola Formula
3 parts rolled oats
2 parts nuts -- at least ½ should be almonds
1 part dried fruit -- or more, I like it fruity
0-1 part seeds, coconut, whatever -- go wild
1/3 part oil -- I like coconut
½ part sweetener -- at least ½ the sweetener should be liquid
salt, to taste
flavoring -- fruit zest, extracts

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix oats, nuts, and any seeds or coconut together in large bowl.

2. Heat sweeteners together with oil, flavorings and salt in small saucepan, whisking occasionally until warm. (Add zests at the beginning of the heating and extracts at the end.) Pour mixture over dry ingredients; stir with spatula until mixture is thoroughly coated. Turn mixture onto an 11-by-7-inch jelly roll pan, spreading mixture in an even layer.

3. Bake, stirring and respreading mixture into an even layer every 5 minutes, until granola is light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Immediately turn granola onto another jelly roll pan to stop cooking process. Stir in dried fruit, then spread granola evenly in pan; set on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Loosen dried granola with a spatula; store in airtight container.

Variations --
Cranberry-Orange Granola
(You might try replacing 1 cup of the almonds with 1 cup chopped pecans. I say "you" because I don't like pecans.)
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
1/3 cup coconut oil
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 pinch salt
grated zest of 1 orange
1 cup dried cranberries

Lemon-Blueberry Granola
3 cups Rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
1/3 cup coconut oil
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup granulated sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 pinch salt
1 cup dried blueberries

Maple & Brown Sugar Granola
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups sliced almonds
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup dried blueberries

Middle East Granola
(Geekboy's favorite)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup unsalted pistachios
3 ounces honey
1 ounce sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons rose water
½ cup pitted dates, chopped
½ cup dried apricots, chopped

Tropical Fruit Granola
(Always a huge hit)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (the big health-food store kind)
¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup banana chips
½ cup dried papaya, diced

Chocolate Granola
For the Chocolate Clusters
1 cup sugar
¼ cup whole milk
2 tablespoons dutched cocoa powder
1 tablespoon dutched black cocoa powder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups quick oats
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Granola
2 cups sliced almonds
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter and stir to combine. Cook over high heat and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 1/2 minutes, remove from heat, then add the oats and vanilla and stir well to combine. Spread in thin layer on parchment, cool, and break into small pieces.

Continue with the master recipe. Add the chocolate clusters at the end when you would normally add the fruit.


This recipe doesn't have crunchy clusters but it does have big flavor and it is very good in milk or over yogurt.

This one from CI is supposed to be excellent:
SUPER CHUNKY GRANOLA
http://www.eatdotat.com/swap/forum/inde ... gid=189235

This board is the best! Mahalo to everyone for all your input.

Lu