Latest batch of Granola

granola

I make about 10 cups of granola at a time. As Mark Bittman says “It’s so easy, and healthy” and you can personalize it each time. You basically toast all the grains and oats then add in the dried fruits (i generally add in chopped crystallized ginger and golden raisins).

This week i added dried cranberries and a generous dusting of cinnamon. I have also found that using ‘Organic Blue Agave Nectar’ as a sweetener makes it easier to blend the dry ingredients without the clumps that form with honey.

Great way to warm the kitchen on a rainy cold morning!

Here is Mark Bittmans’ basic recipe

Into this base of rolled oats you can stir just about any dry ingredient imaginable: other grains, like flakes of rye or wheat; dried fruit; spices, from cinnamon to vanilla to nutmeg to cardamom; orange zest, crystallized ginger, peanut butter, even chocolate chips. And of course, any nut or seed you can think of: I favor a combination of cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and pecans.
Ingredients
•    6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
•    2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews
•    1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
•    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
•    Dash salt
•    1/2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
•    1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit, optional
Method
•    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, cinnamon, salt and sweetener. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. Mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.
•    2. Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.