It appears Winter has decided to come early to DC, much to my delight (and The Boy‘s chagrin). You see, I’m one of those nuts who happen to love the cold weather. It could be because I look fabulous in boots and have a flair for Winter fashion. Or it could be because Winter means I can fire up the oven and bake without having a heat stroke. Either way, Winter is here and I can think of nothing better to usher it in then this granola.
Granola is really one of the easiest things to make, even for the cooking challenged. You grab a big mixing bowl, throw in some oats, some seeds, some nuts, maybe some dried fruit, add a binder and you’ve got yourself a granola. The important part is to find flavors that work well together in order to get a flavorful granola. The best way to come up with a great granola is to mirror the ingredients of your favorite muffin. Like banana nut muffins? Make a granola using dried banana chips, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. More of a pumpkin muffin person? Throw pumpkin seeds and pumpkin spices in your granola. Another great tip? Use the oil of the nut you are using in the granola. Nut oils add a smokier depth to the granola and allow the nut flavor to permeate every delicious bite.
But the best thing about granola is the many ways you can enjoy it. Add some milk and heat it up for a delicious hot Winter breakfast or sprinkle some over yogurt for a cool Summer morning meal. Granola is also a great snack that can be eaten on its own. Put homemade granola in a lovely canister and you’ve got a great gift for the holidays. And I have one more way you can use granola…but I’ll save that for the next post.
Recipe: Walnut Oil Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats
- 1 cup coconut, toasted
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup walnut oil
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the coconut in a single layer. Toast the coconut in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. The coconut will start to turn a slight tan but not all of it will. Make sure the coconut doesn’t burn while toasting.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, spices, salt and sugar. Stir everything together and then with a spatula, fold in the oil and syrup. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Spread the granola in a single layer on two nonstick baking sheets. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. Once golden, take the granola out and allow to cool thoroughly. Toss it with the toasted coconut and enjoy!
Meal type: breakfast
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
That sounds YUM. My one issues with granola is how much sugar it usually has. I need to find a low/no sugar granola recipe!
just stumbled upon your site – fabulous! i love granola and i LOVE walnut oil, but i’m always wary to use it in granola b/c the smoke point is so much lower than canola or even olive oil. although, i’ll wager that’s why you’ve set the oven temp at 300* as opposed to 350 or higher… OR… are you using semi-refined walnut oil instead of unrefined? i believe i have the unrefined. sorry for the onslaught – just curious and intrigued by your recipe! i’m very much looking forward to trying this in my next batch. thanks!
cheers,
*heather*
@ Sizzle – Let me know if the agave granola recipe works for you!
@ Heather – I used La Tourangelle’s roasted walnut oil, which is suitable for medium high heat baking, sauteing, roasting, etc. And that’s also why I lowered the temperature as well. While baking this, I didn’t get any smokiness at all. Hope that helps!