Day Seven

And now to go with our homemade yogurt: granola!

I just started making granola recently after discovering I had been scammed into paying $5-7 a bag for the good stuff when it's super easy and cheap to make it at home.

The beauty of granola is that it's one of food's blank canvases. Once you've got the primary ingredients (oats, a little oil or butter, and maple syrup or sugar) you can add pretty much anything you have in your kitchen or looks yummy while shopping the bulk bins.

I got my original recipe from Joy of Baking: http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/HomemadeGranola.html

The basic recipe:

3 cups rolled oats. I recommend thick cut.
3/4 cup nuts
1 cup seeds. I've been using sesame and flax, sometimes pumpkin.
1/2-3/4 cup dried coconut (optional)
1/2 tsp spice, such as cinnamon or ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp canola oil or melted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup dried fruit


In a few short words, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, mix the dry ingredients, save the dried fruit-you'll add that after the baking, together in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl mix the wet ingredients. Pour the wet over the dry and mix well.

So far, pretty easy. But wait, it gets even easier!

Spread your unbaked granola on parchment lined baking sheets (do this and you won't even have to wash them when you're done) and bake for 30-45 minutes. It'll keep crisping after it's out of the oven, so stop just short of where you want it.


Once the granola has cooled, add your dried fruit and mix. Store in an airtight container.

Holy crap that was easy.

FYI: Today I used macadamia nuts, dried papaya and pineapple in my recipe.

I had to bust up the nuts a little as they were a little too big. Plastic bag worked best, but I had to focus my mallet on one nut at a time. Sounds much more Sadistic than it was.