How about now?
I made half a batch of this granola before work Tuesday and oh man! I'm glad no one saw me shoveling it into my face. It wasn't ladylike at all...
But if you make this granola, you'll understand. My friend, Super Sheree, shared the recipe with me last year. This isn't health food store granola, sweetened only with kindness and good intentions, packed with chicory and flax (well, there is flax.) Sheree's granola is made with our friends Butter and Maple Syrup, with a splash of sugar thrown on top for crunch.
This granola is sweet-salty and sticks to your ribs without any apologies or murmerings about how "you'll have to work that off later." Yet it's filled with fruits, nuts, oats, and flax--models of virtue. It's what I'm packing with me today, when I fly to Texas for a weddin'. Sorry, Southwest Airlines; I love you, but Sheree's granola kicks your snack box's ass.
The lovely granola
adapted from Tree's granola,
which was adapted from epicurious
Microwave or melt the butter, then stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Set aside.
Stir all of the granola filling --everything that's left but the salt and sugar--together in a big bowl. Pour the butter/syrup over the granola and stir well.
Spread the granola onto the parchment paper, making an even sheet of filling. Lightly sprinkle the salt and sugar over the granola and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the granola halfway through cooking and stir; keep a close eye on the oats for the last 5 minutes. Once the oats are golden and the fruit slightly crisp, remove the granola and let it cool, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
If you prefer big chunks of granola, carefully crack the sheet of granola with a spoon, then store the cereal --loosely packed--in an air-tight container. If you prefer a more even consistency, cram the granola in a quart-sized bag. It'll (allegedly) keep for weeks (not that I let it sit around that long.)
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like:
Chocolate coconut flax granola
Dried fruit pie
adapted from Tree's granola,
which was adapted from epicurious
- 3 cups steel-cut rolled oats
- 1/4 cup ground flax meal
- 2 tsp. quinoa (optional)
- 2 tsp. medium-grind corn meal (optional)
- 1 handful raw almonds or pecans
- 1 handful walnut pieces (or crush a handful of walnut halves by hand; very satisfying)
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, snipped in fourths
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins (I choose cranberries; raisins are evil.)
- 2 Tb. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. cardamom powder
- 4 Tb. melted butter
- 4 oz. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Microwave or melt the butter, then stir in the maple syrup and vanilla. Set aside.
Stir all of the granola filling --everything that's left but the salt and sugar--together in a big bowl. Pour the butter/syrup over the granola and stir well.
Spread the granola onto the parchment paper, making an even sheet of filling. Lightly sprinkle the salt and sugar over the granola and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the granola halfway through cooking and stir; keep a close eye on the oats for the last 5 minutes. Once the oats are golden and the fruit slightly crisp, remove the granola and let it cool, undisturbed, for 10 minutes.
If you prefer big chunks of granola, carefully crack the sheet of granola with a spoon, then store the cereal --loosely packed--in an air-tight container. If you prefer a more even consistency, cram the granola in a quart-sized bag. It'll (allegedly) keep for weeks (not that I let it sit around that long.)
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like:
Chocolate coconut flax granola
Dried fruit pie
2 comments:
Wow! That is pretty darn close to food porn, if it isn't just flat out food porn already!! LOL
You betcha, Rhonda. ;-)
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