Granola

First we have far too few pictures on this blog!  I don't take good food pictures but we're all friends here and you won't judge me for the messy kitchen etc that you may see!

So I've been on a homemade granola kick for a while now.  I wanted to make some that was more affordable and without the preservatives and additives.  And NO corn syrup in the granola bars.  Yeah.  I have been collecting recipes and finally bit the bullet and have been experimenting for the past month.  I'm not actually sure of the cost.  I don't know that it's less, in fact it might be more but that's okay because they taste awesome!!!

This is the granola.  The recipe is from 3191.visualblogging.com.  They loosely based it on How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.  It calls for brown rice syrup which kept me away for along time but I bought some (about $7/20 oz.)  Kind of tastes like, well not much.  It is a little sweet and very mild.  I added 1/2 cup honey to 1/4 cup brown rice syrup and the sweetness is just right for me.  I also added cinnamon and ginger and that is tasty.  I would love to add candied ginger but the kids protest! This recipe makes about three quarts.   Scott added Craisins to his morning bowl of granola.  We also like it in yogurt with homemade raspberry sauce.

 

Granola bars up next.  The recipe does call for dried fruit and not chocolate!  But....I added about 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips which melted and turned into chocolaty goodness.  Yum.  I also bake it at 325 instead of 350 and I used a 7'x11" pan for thinner bars.  Thank you Alton Brown for another fabulous recipe.

What else?  Have fun and experiment!

Granola Bars

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005

Prep Time: 20 min

Inactive Prep Time: --

Cook Time: 40 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 16 (2-inch) squares

Ingredients

• 8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups

• 1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup

• 3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup

• 1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup

• 6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup

• 1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed

• 1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries

Directions

Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Stand-by Family Granola

inspired by/adapted from Crunchy Granola in How to Cook Everything

This recipe is super loosey-goosey with lots of options. You're making granola, people, so embrace your inner hippy and just go with the flow. Also, it makes a lot. It's easy to halve it.

6 cups rolled oats

2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (That batch above has sliced almonds and hazelnuts. Sesame seeds are great. I usually throw in some ground flax too.)

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (Coconut hater? Leave it out. We love it at our house)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (You could also use ground ginger, or a combination of the two)

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup brown rice syrup (I've also used maple syrup or honey—we like the rice syrup best. You could also omit the sugar and use one full cup of the unrefined stuff.)

Dash Kosher salt (I use a couple dashes, but I like salty with my sweet)

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Place a baking pan (at least 9 x13—I actually use our big roasting pan) over medium heat on the stove top. Add the oats and toast, stirring for a few minutes. Add the coconut, nuts and seeds and spices and continue to toast for a few minutes more until everything begins to brown and become fragrant.

Warm the brown sugar and rice syrup in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Pour over oats mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes (it depends on the size of the granola batch and the size of the pan). Check every 5-10 minutes or so and give it a good stir. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight jar.

Enjoy!

—Stephanie

10 April 2010

3191.visualblogging.com