Fair warning: I LOVE granola. If a shop or bakery sells granola I have never tried before, I will almost always purchase it in hopes of falling in love a little.
As for the granola I make at home, I never really stick to one recipe. I frequently like to tweak it a little to see what would happen. Leili is usually my guinea pig but I don’t think she minds.
This particular recipe is special because I used dried cherries instead of cranberries. It’s not groundbreaking but it is absolutely scrumptious. Now, this is my favorite thing about making granola – the smell that rolls out from the oven is divine. The combination of brown sugar and oats is irresistible. I like to have my granola with milk and fruit but you can obviously enjoy yours with yogurt as well.
Start your day healthily and deliciously!
– W.
Nutty Cherry Granola
by W.
Makes about 4-6 servings
(Dry Ingredients)
3 cups extra thick oats
½ cups whole almonds
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup pepitas
2.5 tablespoons coconut flakes
½ cup dried cherries
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
(Wet Ingredients)
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola or safflower oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 300F.
Mix all the dry ingredients except the dried cherries into a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Let it brown slightly. Quickly add the other wet ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer and stir occasionally. Let it go for about 30 seconds.
Turn off heat and immediately pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix until all the oats are covered. It may not look like you have enough at first, but just be patient and keep on mixing.
Line a large 9″X13″ baking tray with aluminum foil and lightly grease with oil. Spread the sticky oat mixture evenly on the tray and place into the oven.
About every 10 minutes, take out of the oven and fold the mixture so it is getting toasted evenly. Repeat this step 2-4 times depending on how dark you like your granola to be. I like to usually do this about 3-4 times.
By the way, this is when your kitchen is going to start smelling like heaven. Don’t be alarmed if you feel fuzzy all over. Once you have toasted your granola to perfection, add in the dried cherries. The texture should be a bit tacky and clustered.
Go ahead. Snack a little.
