GranolaPrint Recipe

When it comes to granola I like a fairly basic one, not a cereal with a thousand complex flavours but one that is fairly simple in its ingredients and tastes. I have been in search for a good granola recipe for some time and was very happy to find it recently in a Bon Appetit magazine. I guess the thing that caught my eye was that it was written by the author of Orangette – one of my most favourite food blogs.

So, to the recipe. I think that the ingredient that really makes it shine are the pecans – they add a really nice crunch and subtle flavour. The rest is fairly standard, though the result is far beyond. I added some sultanas, dried pineapple and dried apricots where it stipulates dried fruit – next time I think sultanas and apricots will suffice as I find dried pineapple a little too sugary. Totally up to you of course , use whatever you like – a mixture of dried cranberries and blueberries might be a winner for those of you that are partial to berries and wanting to go down the antioxidant route.

Have it with milk, sprinkle it on yogurt or eat it as a snack. You may be labeled a hippie but sticks and stones – at least you will be healthier and happier for it.

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup assorted dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300f/150c. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared baking sheet.

Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, for about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and place baking sheet on a rack. Stir granola and allow to cool. Mix in fruit and store in an airtight container.

Notes: A little bit of history for you – Granola was invented in 1894 by a Dr James Jackson who ran a prominent health spa. Many decades later fruit and nuts were added to the original recipe – deeming it as healthy and it became popular with the hippie movement. Some say the hippie connotation still exists,  I think that it crosses so many demographics that it cannot really be called hippie food anymore or maybe we all have a little bit of hippie inside us.

 Source: Molly Wizenberg for Bon Appetit

© 2010, Michelle. All rights reserved.