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Thursday, January 21, 2010

Ginger Spiced Granola



This is my third batch of this granola, none of which has turned out perfectly.

The first batch was too sweet, the second batch burned (or, um, rather, I burned it), and this last batch was not sweet enough. (Just call me Goldilocks.)



Despite these problems, however, this granola is fantastic. Tons of rolled oats mixed in with crunchy almonds and crackly pepitas, all tossed with maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger.



The recipe is incredibly easy - mix everything together in a big bowl and bake. Perfect for a lazy, rainy, Sunday afternoon. And, despite its problems (or, more likely, my user error), way better than most store-bought granola.



The gingery aroma that wafts out of the oven after about twenty minutes seems like something tangible on which you could float from your spot on the couch into the kitchen. Which is good, since you should stir the granola every once in awhile to keep it from burning.



This recipe is also pretty much infinitely adaptable, so customize it to suit your personal tastes and what you have on hand. Like walnuts and pecans more than pepitas and almonds? Use them instead. Like vanilla rather than ginger? Add in some extract and take out the spices you don't like. Want to add dried fruit? Go for it (though wait till after you take the granola out to mix it in, so it doesn't burn in the oven).



Plus, if you mix Greek yogurt with blueberry jam and then add a generous scoop of granola, you won't even miss the extra sweetness.



Three of the four of us thought this granola was delicious.

The fourth apparently prefers camel brains.




Gingery Olive Oil Granola
Adapted from Mel, who adapted it from the New York Times.

The original recipe called for an extra 1/2 cup of sugar, but I found it too sweet with the maple syrup. Then again, perhaps if you use Grade B maple syrup, like the original recipe states, instead of substituting the Grade A we had on hand, you might want the extra sugar. Mel also suggested using slivered almonds, but I had sliced on hand, and they worked fine. I left out dried fruit just for personal taste.

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup roasted, salted pepitas
1 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 cup Grade A Maple Syrup
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. sea salt


Preheat the oven to 300°.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Spread the oats onto a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven when the oats are crisp and golden.

Let cool. Enjoy.

Makes about 8 cups.

1 comment:

  1. How fortuitous: I've been thinking about making ginger granola, and here is a recipe for inspiration! I don't like my granola too sweet, so I like the idea of using olive oil for its extra piquant tang -- I will have to experiment with that. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete