My Basic Granola Recipe
Granola is such a simple, basic, satisfying recipe. A tray of granola in the oven warms the whole house with a smell that draws people to the kitchen. The cinnamon scent signals baking and comfort, especially appreciated on a dreary winters day. For me granola-making is like bread-making, an act of love and care for others, and I get great satisfaction out of making a batch to share with my housemates or family. When I am really busy with school and need to take a break, making granola is one of my favourite ways to do something that I don’t need or have to do, but I do rather just for the pleasure and process. And the appreciation from the enthusiastic eaters!
There are so many granola recipes out there. It is very overwhelming. Everyone has their own preferences, from crunchy to chewy, clusters or no clusters, dried fruit or not, level of sweetness… there are endless variations. It is difficult to predict how a particular recipe will turn out and whether it will fit your ideal concept of what granola should be. I was inspired by a great method I found on buzzfeed that solves this dilemma by providing a list of general proportions for ingredients, and you can riff off the recipe from there, developing a sense for whether you prefer more or less sugar, and understanding how the crunchiness varies based on the amount and type of oil. You can develop an understanding of how to make the exact granola that you like, and regardless of your experimentation you know it will turn out well because it fits within the basic framework of this simple recipe:
Recipe:
6 c grains (rolled oats are classic, but rye flakes, barley flakes, kasha flakes, and flaked quinoa are fun to experiment with)
2 - 3c nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts…)
1.5t kosher salt or 1 t regular
1 - 1.5c sweetener (honey or maple syrup)
1/2 - 1c fat or oil (coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, butter, ect)
optional:
2-4c seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax, or even wheat germ)
2c unsweetened coconut
2t spices (cinnamon is classic, or try a mix of cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger)
1/2c cocoa powder
2 egg whites
2c dried fruit (after)
That’s it! Mix grains, nuts, salt and optional seeds, coconut, spices and cocoa in a large bowl. In a saucepan over medium low heat, warm sweetener and fat/oil of your choice. Once warmed and runny, pour into bowl and mix. Add two egg whites to make a clumpier granola if desired (and do not stir while baking so the clumps aren’t broken up). Pour mixture onto two baking trays and bake at 300°F for 30-45 minutes, stirring periodically. It will start to smell heavenly, at which point it is done if you prefer a chewy granola, but leave in the oven until granola starts to brown if you prefer yours crispy and toasted.
Once granola has completely cooled, store in a large airtight jar or tupperware container. It keeps for quite a long time (though I can’t attest to this because it usually disappears so quickly in my house!). I would expect it would be good for at least a month.
A few of my favourite variations to get you started:
Vanilla Almond
6c rolled oats
2c coarsely chopped almonds
1/2c honey
3/4c canola oil
1.5t kosher salt
2c pumpkin seeds
2c sunflower seeds
1c raisons
2t cinnamon
Rosemary Walnut
6c rolled oats
2c walnuts
1.5t kosher salt
1c honey
1c butter
6 sprigs rosemary
2t cinnamon
Add rosemary sprigs to your saucepan of honey and butter, then stir into your granola mixture and bake on the tray in oven. You can remove the sprigs before you put your granola in a jar for storage if you like, or leave them in for a bit of extra scent and flavour infusion.
Cocoa Pecan
6c rolled oats
2c pecans
1.5c honey
1c coconut oil
1.5t kosher salt
2c coconut
1 t cinnamon
1/2c cocoa
Butter Pecan
6c rolled oats
3c pecans
1.5c honey
1c butter
1.5t salt
2c coconut
2t cinnamon
1c dried cranberries
This is a forgiving and rewarding recipe. The biggest mistake I usually make is forgetting it in the oven too long and burning it, so with that one caution in mind, experiment! Be adventurous! Have fun!