Sweet and Fruity Granola (yum)

Okay, so actually the name of this recipe in the book is just “Granola” but that sounded boring. And the recipe is so un-boring, and the end product so delicious, that I thought it deserved a fancier name. Seriously, this recipe is excellent. You may never go back to store-bought granola again.

In our house, breakfast is typically a bowl of oatmeal. It’s quick, it’s affordable, it’s easy to make a big batch that will feed a table-full of bellies. In order to keep things interesting, the Sweetie Pie likes to top the oatmeal with different tasty morsels. One of the things he likes to use is granola. It’s hard to find affordable store-bought granola made without refined sugar, so I’m accustomed to making my own granola. But somehow it had never occurred to me that I could freeze it. When I saw this recipe, I thought it was brilliant and knew I had to try it.

The Sweetie Pie and all the kiddos agree that this granola is delicious. I like that it’s easy to pull together, and that I have more of it in the freezer when this batch runs out. And of course, I like that it’s free of refined sugars. Everyone’s happy at the breakfast table.

Granola

Source: Fix, Freeze, Feast by Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik

Grocery List

• 12 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups almondschopped
• 2 cups sesame seedsuntoasted
• 2 cups sunflower seedsraw and hulled
• 2 cups shredded coconutunsweetened
• 2 cups wheat germ
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbs ground cinnamon
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups honey
• 2/3 cups water
• 2 Tbs vanilla extract
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 one-quart freezer bagslabeled

1. Mix oats, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, wheat germ, raisins, cranberries, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

You can find most of these ingredients at a warehouse store, but I find that they are even more affordable (and fresher) in the bulk section of my natural grocer’s. There I can even find dried fruit that is sweetened with apple juice and not sugar. Most of these ingredients I already had on hand. I didn’t have any sesame seeds though, so I substituted chia seeds which my kids don’t really notice. They get lots of nutrition without really realizing it– so sneaky. You can experiment with different fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, etc. to come up with endless combinations.

I haven’t made a granola recipe with wheat germ and wheat flour in it. I was a little curious about how that would work. Once I added the liquid, the flour and the germ kinda stuck together to form crunchy little nuggets. I thought it was a nice addition.

If you’re wanting to make this gluten-free, I’m thinking it could be done. Use gluten-free oats, and simply leave out the wheat germ and flour. You may need to adjust the liquid quantities in the next step, since you’ll have less dry ingredients. If anyone tries it, leave a comment to let us know how it works out.

2. Combine oil, honey, water, vanilla, and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sauce begins to boil. Remove from heat. Pour sauce over the oat mixture and mix well.

I swapped out a few ingredients simply to suit our family’s preferences. I used butter instead of vegetable oil. I’ve been reading a lot of information lately about stable fats (suitable for heating) and unstable fats (suitable for consuming cold). Vegetable oils are among the unstable fats, and heating them alters the chemical structure of the oil, creating potential toxins.

I also used agave nectar for half of the honey. The honey I have in the cupboard is raw, unfiltered (and quite expensive). I wanted the honey flavor, but without using two whole cups of the honey. Using half and half worked out really well. Our family doesn’t have a big sweet tooth, and the Sweetie Pie said that for the next batch I could probably cut the sweetener in half all together. So next time I’ll try using 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup agave.

This syrup smelled divine while it was simmering. It smelled like caramel, which I guess it basically was caramel. It was really hard for me to not lick the spoon.

3. Divide granola evenly among the freezer bags. Seal and freeze.

We go through granola pretty quickly, so I opted to divide mine into 3 big batches, instead of 8 small ones. I baked one batch right away, and put the other two into gallon-sized storage bags.

TO COOK:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

2. Place frozen granola on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Because my batch was larger, I had to use two cookie sheets and I baked it longer. Regrettably, I didn’t time it, but I think it was more like 45-60 minutes. I stirred every 10-15 minutes.

When baking granola you want to remove it once it turns brown. It will still be kind of soft and you’ll think it’s not done. But it’ll crisp up as it cools. If you leave it in longer it’s going to start to burn.