Maple Granola

If you have been to a Farmer's Market lately you have probably come across a table selling homemade granola. Usually sold in twelve ounce bags, you can expect to pay anywhere from $16 to $20 for a bag of granola. For that quantity, it might be considered to be on the pricey side. And while these Farmer's Market bags of granola make for a great hostess gift, a jar of your own homemade granola would be an equally great (or even better) gift. As a bonus, you can make enough to give to a friend and to enjoy yourself! 

My cravings for granola have increased significantly now that I have been eating Greek yogurt on a regular, almost daily, basis. In addition to some fresh blueberries, a tiny amount of honey, and several dark chocolate chips, mixing in some homemade granola takes the yogurt eating experience to whole new level of deliciousness. I have discovered that I love a very nutty granola, one also having the flavors of maple and cinnamon as well as being chockful of dried fruit. Dried cherries and dried cranberries being amongst my favorites. So I decided to use this recipe from the blog as the framework in developing the recipe for this Maple Granola.

And there were a myriad of changes made to that recipe. From reducing the amount of oats, to eliminating the use of honey, to increasing the amounts of maple syrup, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and dried fruit, to adding pistachios, to altering the baking temperature. The combination of all of these changes resulted in an even more delicious, heartier, more satisfying granola. In other words, this may be the BEST granola recipe now on the blog. And it's now my favorite!

Without any artificial ingredients, this Maple Granola is naturally sweetened by the dark brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla. The added sweetness comes from the addition of the dried fruit.

Because this Maple Granola is load with nuts, it's one having a high level of protein. When compared to a store-bought granola, this one is so much healthier! With a shelf life of about 4 weeks, this Maple Granola is perfect for giving to and/or sending out to friends. It also makes for a great hostess gift!

I will be putting this Maple Granola on repeat for an indefinite period of time as I can't imagine getting tired of either making or eating obscene amounts of it. Not only because it is so deeply flavorful and textured, but it brings me joy every time I have some. Whether it's just a small handful to snack on, or a topping on my yogurt, or mixed with some milk, this Maple Granola has definitely become my latest obsession. And who knows, once you make this granola you might never again buy any from the Farmer's Market! 

Recipe

Maple Granola

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups (280g) old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup (92g) wheat germ 

3/4 cup (80g) oat bran

1/2 cup (72g) sunflower seeds

1/2 cup (113g) whole almonds

1/2 cup ( 58g) pecan halves

1/2 cup (56g) walnut halves

1/3 cup (66g) dark brown sugar

2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup canola oil or vegetable oil or a high quality extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 large egg white, whipped to very, very soft peaks

1 1/2 cups (215g) dried fruit mixture (e.g., dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins, apricots, etc.)

1/2 cup (78g) roasted and salted pistachios

Optional additions: chocolate chips, coconut flakes, cashews instead of pistachios.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F). Line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds. pecans, and walnuts.

3. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the dark brown sugar, maple syrup, and canola oil. Bring to boil. Immediately remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and Kosher salt.

4. Pour over the oat mixture. Stir to combine.

5. Add the lightly whipped egg white. Stir to combine.

6. Transfer the mixture to baking pan. Evenly spread out on the baking sheet.

7. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Halfway through the baking process, stir the mixture. 

8. Remove pan from the oven and press the mixture down firmly with your hands or with a meat mallet. This will help create clumps when you break the cooled granola apart.

9. Top with dried fruit and pistachios. Note: I used dried cherries and dried cranberries. 

10. Let granola completely cool to room temperature. Break the granola apart into various sizes of clusters (not all of the granola will cluster). 

11. Store the granola in a tightly sealed storage container or wrap in cellophane bags tied with string/ribbon or a tightly sealed jar. Granola will be good for up to 4 weeks if stored in a dry, cool place.

12. Serve granola with milk or yogurt. Or top a bowl of ice cream with a handful of granola or just eat it as a snack!

Notes: (1) Use your favorite dried fruit. Use all dried cranberries, all dried cherries, all raisins, all dried apricots and/or any combination of them. (2) In addition to dried fruit add in semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup) for an even more decadent version. (3) The recipe can easily be doubled. Divide mixture between two large baking pans. If you are lucky enough to have a double oven, put a baking pan of granola in each oven. If you only have a single oven, rotate your two baking trays halfway through the baking process. (4) I generally buy my dried fruit from Trader Joe's. (5) If gifting this granola, I highly recommend putting it large canning jars. Not only do they make for a beautiful presentation, they increase the shelf life of the granola.