Saturday, May 4, 2013

Making Granola

I blame this on Dave. He posted about his Muesli that he made and it got me to remembering when I used to make granola. I had kids then and it was a lot of work since they would eat it all up so quickly. But homemade granola is delicious. And fun since you get to pick your own flavors.

The basic recipe that I use is not an exact recipe. It is a set of proportions that I like and have found works over time. The flavors can change based on your whim or what is available. I don't like most commercial granolas as they are too sweet for me. So this recipe is for granola with just a touch of sweetness. If you like sweet add brown sugar. You can add however much you want to make it sweet enough maybe 1/2 - 1 cup. I also don't add vegetable oil. Coconut milk has a lot of oils in it and adds flavor. The recipe makes about three quarts.

Daphne's Granola Recipe


Dry Ingredients
  • 4 cups oats
  • 1 1/2 c oat flour or extras
  • 2 c chopped raw nuts (they get roasted as the granola cooks)
  • t salt
  • spices
Wet Ingredients
  • 3/4 c light coconut milk
  • 1/2 c juice concentrate
  • 1/2 c liquid sugar
  • extracts
Other
  • 1 1/4 c dried fruit
The basic idea is to mix the dry ingredients together. Then mix the wet ingredients together. Then mix them both together to totally moisten the oat mixture.

Spread the mixture out on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake. I bake at 300F for about 40-50 minutes. After the first 10 minutes I switch the top for the bottom cookie sheet. Then every 10 minutes after I stir the mixture well. It works best on a jelly roll pan as they have sides, but I don't own any now. Keep a close eye on them and remove when they start to lightly brown (but not just the little tiny edges, mix those into the middle so they don't burn). The mixture will harden up when it cools. Don't expect it to be crunchy right from the oven. If it doesn't harden up once it is cooled, you didn't cook it long enough. Just put it back in and do it some more. Once it is cool mix in the dried fruit and pack into airtight jars. If you like flax seed in your mix, this would be the time to add it too. Cooking flax seed isn't a good idea.

As you can see I cooked the one on the right more. The one on the left is just barely done. I made three types. The first on the left was a typical cinnamon (1 T) flavored one. The nuts were a mix of almonds and pecans. The fruit was blueberries. The juice concentrate was apple. The liquid sugar was maple and I added a tablespoon of vanilla extract. The one on the right had sunflower seeds, pistachios, dried Montgomery cherries, cloves (1/2 t), almond extract (1/2 t), orange juice concentrate, and honey. The third type which isn't shown was a gingerbread flavored one. It had almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, molasses, dried ginger (1 T), allspice and nutmeg (1/2 t), cinnamon (1 T), and apple and orange juice concentrate.

As you can see the recipe is very flexible and only limited by your imagination. You can make all sorts of interesting flavors. I'm wondering if I can switch it up when I start getting strawberries and use fruit puree instead of concentrated fruit juice. I may have to use more, which would make the mixture too moist. But I suppose that just means it has to cook longer. I'll see when the season hits. And I ought to note the "extras" part. I used oat flour all the time (oatmeal ground in the food processor). But you can use other flours. You could be healthy and use ground quinoa or amaranth - Dave pops his amaranth. Or you could add some chopped coconut flakes, sesame seeds or any kind of bran.

13 comments:

  1. The coconut milk is an interesting addition. I'll have to try the recipe, I have not made granola for a long time either.

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  2. I always make my own granola (god--since the 70's !!) and it's different every time. lol I don't use coconut milk though--I might try that. Does it still stay shelf stable ? We do eat it pretty fast, esp. in the warmer months...

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  3. Your recipe is very versatile. And all of your combinations sound good to me! Homemade granola is so delicious. And it is much less expensive to make it yourself. I've used juice concentrate before, but I've never tried coconut milk as a wet ingredient. I will have to try that the next time I make some. Though I am currently still stuck on my muesli kick! I also freeze leftover coconut milk in an ice cube tray and pop it in smoothies or use it in cooking.

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  4. I made a granola once and it was delicious! Crunchy and perfect with yoghurt on breakfast!

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  5. Yum, all your varieties sound delicious. Home made granola will pair well with home made yogurt. I am pinning this recipe to try later.

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  6. I make granola all the time but not quite like yours. Yours is probably healthier and looks good! I use honey and olive oil in mine. I froze a little spinach and wondered if your suppose to squeeze some of the water out of it after blanching? Nancy

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    1. There is no reason to. I do with mine just because how I freeze it but it isn't necessary.

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  7. My kids and spouse love granola, but have super-pedestrian tasts. So just oats and honey. I add things when I eat it, but someday, I will have Fabulous Gourmet Granola. . . just for me, me, me!!

    Yours is lovely.

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  8. I recently started making a granola recipe from my mom. The kids went to visit her and loved her granola so of course I had to start making it myself.
    So much healthier! Mine uses honey, butter, natural peanut butter, oats, several nuts, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Maybe I'll post it one of these days.

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  9. I make my own muesli too but I don't tend to toast it very much at all, or add sugar. I like it best that way though although I suspect the kids would much prefer yours so I should really try it. I made muesli bars today too - now those they like - lots of sugar and butter.

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  10. If I made this, I would eat it non-stop and not quit until it was gone. I love cereals and this would be just too tempting to have around. It really does look like a delicious recipe.

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  11. i mix granola with pumpkin (or b-nut squash) puree to make it clumpy with less sugar. your previous post prompted my to comment. i will also try the coconut milk if i am out of coconut flakes.

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