Granola. What’s your favorite kind? It might be this one, once you give it a try – and a mason jar of it would make a really cute homemade gift for the holidays! What makes it so great? It’s kind of hard to describe how super-good this is, but I will try, because you really should make it, even if you’ve never made granola before (I hadn’t). First of all, it has an amazing balance of flavors – sweet and salty in just the right way. Secondly, it is almost half nuts, so it is extremely hearty and will keep you going all morning. Thirdly, you can change it up to suit yourself – just keep to the proportion of oats to nuts, but you could use any kind of nuts you want, or add herbs and spices. I might try a little rosemary next time.
This recipe is adapted from a Genius Recipe from Food52. And they’ve got a cookbook full of Genius Recipes now! Meant to astonish you and change the way you cook, they do not disappoint. How did I adapt it? I must admit that as usual, I had slightly different ingredients on hand so I substituted a few things. That is the way of the radish*rose kitchen. We encourage experimentation and are happy when it turns out this well!
- 3 c. rolled oats (I used the quick-cooking kind)
- 1 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 c. sliced almonds
- 1 c. unsweetened coconut chips
- 1 c. raw cashews, roughly chopped
- ¾ c. pure maple syrup
- ½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ c. packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. coarse salt (to taste - this amount worked perfectly for me)
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is toasted (no more liquid remains), about 45-60 minutes.
- Remove the granola from the oven, taste, and season with more salt if needed (mine didn't, but do your thing). Let cool completely before serving, or store in an airtight container for up to a month (as if it's going to last that long!). Enjoy!
