Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Buona Pasqua!!! My family and I love this granola. I made it about 5 times after I first made it a few weeks ago. I even made it when I had post-cold congestion and couldn't taste or smell anything, lol. This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups (200 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup (100 g) quick oats
½ cup (135 g) peanut butter, natural or regular
¼ cup (80 g) pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons (42 g) coconut oil
1 tablespoon (13 g) brown sugar or coconut sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (135 g) roasted peanuts, optional
1 to 1 ½ cups (170-255 g) dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips

 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, toss the old-fashioned oats and quick oats together. In a small microwave-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Microwave for 30 to 45 seconds until the peanut butter and coconut oil are melted and the ingredients can easily be whisked together into a smooth mixture (don't overheat). (I just melt everything together in a small saucepan on the stove- I don't like using the microwave for stuff like this.)

3. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats and stir until evenly combined. Add the peanuts, if using, and toss until evenly combined. Spread the granola evenly on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake another 10 minutes.

4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips across the top of the granola and give a quick stir to combine them into the granola. Return to the oven for 1 minute.

5. Out of the oven, DO NOT STIR- if you want granola clusters. I don't care, so I stir here, because I don't need the clusters. Let the granola cool completely on the sheet pan.

6. When cooled, stir or scrape the granola into pieces and store in a covered container. The granola keeps well at cool, room temperature for several weeks.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Brown Butter Pecan Granola

Yum- I think this is the best granola I've ever made.  The brown butter/brown sugar mixture is caramel-like, the pecans add a delicious sweet crunch, and the fresh orange zest just sends it over the top.  I've made this twice recently.  In fact, my son is sitting by me eating a big bowl right now.  I doubled the oats from the original recipe, and it's perfect.  If you like granola, you should make this immediately.  This recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, and she has a great granola tip.  In all of my granola-making years, I never knew this- do not stir the granola after bringing it out of the oven for the last time.  The mixture will harden together and you can gently break it up to have clumps.  I've never had clumps before now.  (It tastes great either way, though.)  I stir it a second-to-last time, and then put it in for 2 more minutes, then remove from the oven.  Mel grinds the pecans up for this recipe, but I just added choppped pecans to the mixture and loved it.  

Brown Butter Pecan Granola

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup salted butter
¼ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup pecans
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup  raw or sprouted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
½ cup  unsweetened coconut flakes
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional (from one orange)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray OR line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

2.  Over medium heat, melt the butter in a stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter foams and then browns, 5-6 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn’t burn. You just want the itty bitty solids that separate from the butter to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the pecans, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, orange zest (if using), cinnamon and salt. Pour the brown butter syrup mixture over the top and stir to combine evenly.

4.  Spread the granola into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the granola smells fragrant and is a nicely toasted golden color. The granola will look wet as you stir and might even look a bit wet coming out of the oven. It will dry as it cools. (Resist the urge to stir it as it comes out of the oven- let it harden as it cools so you can crumple it into clumps.)  

5.  Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. Crumble into pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (it will keep well for 1-2 weeks).

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Small Batch Granola

This is a great recipe from Joy the Baker.  I actually doubled the recipe, lol, so it wasn't small-batch for me.  But granola lasts forever if stored correctly.  I'm the only one who eats it in my house, but it still lasted until I finished it.  I like how this recipe uses coconut oil and cinnamon.  One can use either whole or sliced almonds in this.

Small Batch Granola
adapted from Joy the Baker
easily doubled

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup raw whole or sliced almonds
1/3 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, toss together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and toss until all of the oat mixture is coated in moisture.
Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss in the almonds, and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss in the coconut flakes and bake for 10 minutes until everything is golden brown.

4.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing or serving.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Honey-Almond Granola

I liked this granola recipe in that it was super simple, and used butter instead of oil.  I like to do that sometimes for a change of flavor.  I added some cinnamon to this.  This recipe is no longer available on the original website I got it from, for some reason.

Honey-Almond Granola

adapted from here, although no longer available
330 g (4 cups) rolled (old-fashioned) oats*
80 g (1 cup) sliced or whole almonds
80 g (1 cup) shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
100 g (1/3 cup) honey
60 g (1/4 cup) butter
60 g (1/4 cup) water

1.  Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).  In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almonds, coconut and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter and honey. Stir until they no longer separate then add the water. Pour honey and butter mixture over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Combine until absorbed.

2.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the granola mixture evenly.  Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven after 10 minutes and turn the granola.  If not browned enough for your liking, leave in the oven, watching carefully, until done.  When cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

*Can be made gluten-free with the appropriate oats.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Breakfast Week: Yogurt Parfait

This one is a no-brainer, but I think still worth putting on here, in case someone needs a reminder of this idea for breakfast.  Everyone but one child loves this breakfast, and it's quick, easy and pretty nutritious.  I always have homemade granola on hand.  You can try "The Granola", NY Times Olive Oil Granola, Coconut Oil Granola, or this No-Oil Granola.  Make your granola ahead of time, like on the weekend, so you have it ready to go for busy school or work mornings. 

Right now, we're using frozen berries in our parfaits instead of fresh fruit.  They are so easy to just grab out of the freezer and throw in there.  They start thawing pretty fast, too.  They are also readily available (most of the time, where I live, anyway!), and pretty inexpensive compared to fresh. 

A note about yogurt: don't be afraid to use whole-milk, full-fat yogurt.  It's not scary, I promise.  In the States, one can get good tasting fat free Greek yogurts, which would be fine, but they don't even seem to make fat free yogurt in Europe.  The yogurt here is delicious, and I've been eating it for years with no ill effects.  :)  Plus, any fat free varieties tend to have way more sugar, to make up for the fact that they're losing flavor from fat.  Just promise me you won't use Yoplait!  Lol!  (I have a personal vendetta against Yoplait yogurts.  They gross me out.)  If you want to be virtuous, you can use plain yogurt, but we usually use honey or blackberry Greek yogurt.  Other good flavors are raspberry and vanilla bean. 

(The yogurt in the US used to be seriously lacking, but I've noticed in my last 2 visits that they have some awesome yogurts now!  Greek, full fat, exciting new flavors, etc.  I'm happy about Stateside yogurt now.  Finally, they have something besides crappy ol' Yoplait. :) )

Yogurt Parfait
by What a Dish!

For each serving:
1 single-serve container favorite yogurt
granola; however much you want
frozen berries to taste (blueberries & raspberries are good)

1.  Use a fun decorative container like a wine glass, pretty mason jar, or glass bowl.  We use wine glasses.  In the bottom of your glass, place half of the yogurt, followed with a layer of granola, followed by a layer of berries.  I like to do one layer raspberries; one layer blueberries.  Serve.  :)

PS:  I know this isn't really a recipe, more of a method, but I never measure this and there's no reason for you to, either! ;)

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com **

Coconut Oil Granola

On Pinterest lately, I've seen a few recipes for granola using coconut oil instead of canola or some other kind of oil.  I have coconut oil on hand and don't use it enough, so I figured I'd take my regular granola recipe and just swap out the regular oil for coconut.  The recipe already contains coconut, so it was perfect.  I had to melt the coconut oil first in the microwave, and it did not lend a strong coconut flavor to the granola.  I would have been fine either way, but this way, my picky kids ate it without protest.  :) 

Almond Maple Coconut Oil Granola
adapted from here and Allrecipes.com

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds or walnuts
2/3 cup raw whole almonds
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup pepitas, optional (shelled pumpkin seeds)
1/2 (14 ounce) package flaked coconut
1/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons cup warm water
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease 1 large cookie sheets (I use a 9x13 pan) with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, wheat germ, flax, pepitas, coconut, and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut oil, water and salt. Pour the liquid over the oat and nut mixture, and stir until evenly coated. Spread out on the prepared cookie sheet.

3. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally (every 15-25 min) until evenly toasted. Cool, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

No-Oil Granola

Here's an option for a granola using no oil at all.  I don't think anything will ever replace my fave, go-to recipe (I really need a new pic of that!) but I do occasionally enjoy trying new recipes for granola and was curious about this recipe.  I thought it was a bit too sweet; I'd reduce the brown sugar to 1/3 cup next time. 

No-Oil Granola
adapted from Cooking Classy

4 cups whole oats (DON'T use quick oats)*

1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp water

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup dried berries such as blueberries or cranberries

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together oats and sliced almonds, set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, water, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Once mixture reaches a boil, allow to boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda and whisk until mixture is foamy, about 10 seconds. Carefully pour hot sugar mixture over oat mixture and toss to evenly coat.

3.  Spread mixture into an even layer on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven, about 36 - 40 minutes until golden brown, removing from oven and tossing twice during baking.  Remove from oven, toss in dried fruit and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.  (Note: granola wont be crisp until cooled.)
*Make sure your oats are gluten-free if needed.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com **

NY Times Olive Oil Granola

Wow- I absolutely loved this granola.  This love made me feel guilty about "cheating" on my first love, "The Granola", but after making The Granola regularly for the last 5+ years, I got the itch to try a new recipe and was so glad I did!  (I still love you, first love Granola.  It's ok). 

I was intrigued, first of all, by the use of olive oil in this recipe.  There was actually so much olive oil in here that I had to add an extra cup of oats because the mixture was so wet.  Next time, I would try 1/3 cup olive oil instead of 1/2 cup.  This recipe calls for 3/4 cup of maple syrup- I used 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup agave nectar (trying it out for the first time).  I totally forgot to add the 1/2 cup brown sugar and was glad, because it was plenty sweet with all of that maple syrup and agave nectar.  I will omit that from the recipe posted below.

I LOVED the pistachios, pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds), cinnamon, and especially cardamom in this!  The flavor combo was SO good!!  You might notice the almonds in the photo- that's because I ran out of pistachios and had to use part almonds/part pistachios.  I've since bought more pistachios, so next time (and it will happen soon), I'm going to use 1 cup raw pistachios and 1/2 cup whole almonds, because I really do like almonds in my granola.  After baking (and after taking these pics), I added some dried cranberries to this (instead of the dried apricots called for). 

In the recipe below, I changed the oats amount from 3 to 4 cups.  I also suggest you start out with 1/3 cup olive oil and add a bit more if needed.  PS:  I made this over a month ago when I could still get a few good nectarines here and there.  :(  Those days are over!  Waaaah!

Note:  If your oats are gluten-free, this granola is a gluten free food!  (Many oats are processed in the same facilities as wheat and other gluten-containing products, so many oats are "contaminated" with gluten.)  I'll include a Gluten-Free tag on this; chances are, if you cook gluten-free, you already know to look for gluten-free oats.  :)

NY Times Olive Oil Granola

from the NY Times :)

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raw pistachios, hulled
1/2 cup raw whole almonds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup coconut chips (any unsweetened, dried coconut) 
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (first try 1/3 cup and see if that's enough-add more if needed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup dried cranberries, optional

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, agave nectar, olive oil, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a lightly greased, rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown and toasted. (May need to bake a bit longer.)  Cool on baking sheet.

2. Transfer granola to a large airtight container and add dried cranberries, tossing to combine.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

"The" Granola

I love granola, but not the store-bought variety so much. I found this recipe about two years ago and have been making it regularly since then. Among my online forum cooking friends, it is known as "The Granola", and many of us make it regularly. I think a lot of us have been making it for a few years! The smell of it wafting through the house really brings back memories. The first time I made it, I was pregnant with my youngest son, and it brings me back to that time. I have also made it in my mother's kitchen when we were visiting with her and it makes me think of cool rainy afternoons in Germany.

I eat this for breakfast almost every morning with vanilla (or plain) yogurt and fruit. In the spring or summer it's fresh berries or peaches, and in the winter it's thawed frozen berries (I love the Northwest berries from Costco- they are so good!). If you are lucky enough to make your own freezer jam, or have a friend who does, that is great with this yogurt and granola, also. Here is my version of this lovely granola. Make sure to use regular rolled oats, not quick. This recipe makes a ton, so if you're not gonna eat it every single day like me, you may want to halve it.
Almond Maple Granola
adapted from Allrecipes

6 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups raw whole almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup whole flax seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 (14 ounce) package flaked coconut
2/3 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, wheat germ, coconut, and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, water and salt. Pour the liquid over the oat and nut mixture, and stir until evenly coated. Spread out on the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally until evenly toasted. Cool, and store in an airtight container at room temperature.