Before I started cooking, I had all kinds of funny notions about what actually went on in the kitchen. One of which concerned granola. Specifically, I entertained fantasties about making it. The granola that's sold in stores tends to be tasteless and wildly expensive, so I figured that people would love receiving a container of truly delicious homemade cereal for Christmas. I had visions of filling Ikea glass jars and hand painting cards. Thing was, I was sure that the task of making the granola itself would be arduous and complicated and would take hours and hours to complete. So I never did it.
Then I learned to cook and nothing seemed all that daunting anymore. But for some reason granola was a last, stubborn vestige of the old way of thinking.
Four years ago, my best friend gave me a wonderfully decadent collection of recipes, Baked, and flipping through it I came across Easy Homemade Granola. I was intrigued. Was it possible that I had it all wrong? Could whipping up granola be something simple and straightforward, more of a casual Tuesday night affair than the holiday mega-project that I had imagined it to be?
Happy to report that I did have it backwards. Granola is actually easy as pie, and this recipe especially so. It takes minutes – minutes! – to get in the oven. And it fills your home with the tantalizing aroma of cinnamon and sugar and toasted oats, to boot. Plus, it is about a thousand times more yummy than the packaged stuff. I have since made granola as gifts, and people do indeed appreciate it. But it need not be reserved for special occasions. Breakfast is occasion enough.
Easy homemade granola
Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
Makes: 1 pound of morning goodness
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup dried sour cherries
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, toss the oats with cinnamon and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.
4. Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine until all oats are covered in honey.
5. Pour mixture on baking sheet and spread out, leaving a few clumps for texture.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over granola and return to oven.
7. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and flip granola again. Sprinkle on the pecans and cashews and return to oven.
8. Bake 10 minutes then remove from oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the dried cherries over the granola and use your hands to transfer to an airtight container. Granola will keep for one week.
