A Great Granola

Summer is a great time for granola, don't you think?  With all of the fresh stone fruits and wonderful berries popping up everywhere this time of year, there are few better ways to enjoy these riches  but with a simple yogurt (see last summer's Homemade Yogurt post for a real treat!) and some homemade granola.  This is my perfect summer breakfast and is the standard beginning of my day all summer long, and many fall, winter and spring days as well, though with different sources of fruit.

I have had some great granola in my time, but I have never been quite as happy with what I can find in the supermarket.  It always seems overloaded with the fillers, and under-represented with the tasty morsels of nuts, fruits, etc.  And worst of all, it never seems toasty.  That is the key really, if you think about it.  A good granola should be toasty.  Really toasty.  The store-bought granola that convinced me of this is the one I currently will buy when in a pinch - called "Udi's".  Not cheap, no, but good.  Which is how I got to the place of making it myself.  Was it possible to make an Udi's-stye granola (super toasty), with lots of high quality ingredients, but save some money to boot?  Could it really be that hard?

I tried a few different variations, judging each against the big issues with granola:  the fat content and the sugar content.  I mean, why ruin a good thing by weighing it down with too much bad stuff, and thereby negating that healthy-way-to-start-your-day concept.  So I was excited to find one particular recipe because of it's unapologetic use of olive oil as the fat, and quality maple syrup (the real stuff) as the sweet.  It so happens that these are two of my very favorite things.  I keep a large bottle of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil on the counter, and another in the pantry, at all times.  Next to it sits the large bottle of grade B maple syrup, with it's spare cozying up next to the pantry oil.  I was armed and ready for this recipe.  It was meant for me.

Getting quality oats was important too.  Luckily, a local bulk food store not only has an organic oat product, but has a 7-grain organic mix as well....this is what I opted for.  Next, the coconut.  Ahhh, the coconut...my childhood nemesis.  I never much liked the stuff, it seemed to ruin every decent baked good I found it in.  Dry, cloying, stick to the grooves in your mouth, coconut.  The pinnacle of my coconut hating goes back to the freezerful of coconut lemon cake that my dad stocked us up with as a side perk from a job he was working.  That cake made its way to our dinner table many nights over the course of a year, and almost wiped the sweet-lover right out of me. ( I did say almost.)  It tried, but I overcame.  Today, I love all things lemon.  I can tolerate a little coconut once in a while.  But what I didn't know is how REALLY GOOD coconut can be, if found in the right form.  Here's where unsweetened coconut flakes from Bob's Red Mill comes in.  This stuff if fantastic, especially when super-toasted along with the oats.  In fact, I'd like to say it's my favorite part of this granola, the part I pick out with my fingers when nobody's looking.

Lastly, the nuts and the fruits.  These are the tidbits that are often skimped on in over-the-counter varieties.  With this recipe, you get to choose them.  Mix and match them, try out new variations.  I'd caution you to add the fruit at the end, after the long toast (my first batch the fruit was tooth-bustingly hard).   And by all means, improvise.  But mostly, just enjoy.

Olive Oil Granola With Dried Fruit and Nuts

Adapted from MELISSA CLARK

Originally Published: July 10, 2009

1. 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2. 1 1/2 cups raw nuts, hulled
3. 1 cup raw pumpkin or sunflower seeds, hulled
4. 1 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
5. 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
6. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
7. 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less if using salted nuts or seeds)
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I love dried cherries here!)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil,  salt, and cinnamon. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
2. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add dried fruit, tossing to combine. Serve with yogurt and fruit, if desired.
Yield: About 9 cups.