{"id":2863,"date":"2013-12-13T16:51:19","date_gmt":"2013-12-13T21:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.katrinakenison.com\/?p=2863"},"modified":"2013-12-13T16:51:19","modified_gmt":"2013-12-13T21:51:19","slug":"glorious-granola-recipe-plenty-give","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/glorious-granola-recipe-plenty-give\/","title":{"rendered":"A glorious granola recipe (plenty to give & some for you, too)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"jars\"M<\/span>y grandmother Kenison crocheted afghans and made the world\u2019s best doughnuts, two skills I still wish I\u2019d learned from her before it was too late.<\/p>\n

She was also the first person I ever knew who made her own granola, back in the days when \u201chealth food\u201d was considered a fad, \u201corganic\u201d might as well have been a foreign word, and the cereal boxes in our kitchen cupboard at home ran from Raisin Bran to Cap\u2019n Crunch.<\/p>\n

At least, on a visit years ago when I was newly married, I did have the foresight to write down Grammie\u2019s recipe.\u00a0 \"recipe\"A<\/span>nd although I can\u2019t present every member of our family with a hand-made afghan this Christmas as she once did, I am following in her footsteps. With the exception of books (I always<\/em> give books!), most of the gifts I\u2019m getting ready to wrap this year aren\u2019t coming from stores.\u00a0 They\u2019re coming from me.<\/p>\n

My granola isn\u2019t exactly like my grandmother\u2019s. I\u2019ve taken some license with her original recipe over the years. \u00a0It’s fun to play with new combinations of ingredients, and it never turns out quite the same twice anyway.\u00a0 (She liked carob powder in hers; lately, I\u2019ve been experimenting with cardamom in mine.) The one thing I always do, though, is make a lot. \u00a0And it\u2019s always delicious. \u00a0I think of my grandmother every time I start gathering the ingredients, and I feel happier creating something simple from scratch than clicking a “buy now” button on my computer or wandering through stores looking for the “perfect” gift.<\/p>\n

As I type these words, the smells of maple and cinnamon and cardamom are still lingering.\u00a0 Steve and Henry have been nibbling with every pass they make through the kitchen.\u00a0 The floor is littered with stray oats and walnuts and sesame seeds.\u00a0 The counters are sticky with syrup and crowded with every huge bowl we own. I haven\u2019t set foot outside all day, or spent a penny, or thought once about the Christmas party we all agreed not to attend.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t answered an email, checked Facebook, or looked at my to-do list for the rest of the week. \u00a0There are all sorts of things I have yet to do.<\/p>\n

\"granolaB<\/span>ut something good has happened here, as the apricots and dried plums were chopped, as the trays went in and out of the oven, as the jars on the table were filled, and as my husband and son stepped in to help wash some dishes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been reminded, once again, that I don\u2019t have to go out in search of Christmas spirit. \u00a0I can create it here in my own kitchen, with a yellowed, handwritten recipe falling out of an old notebook, a few pounds of rolled oats, an abundance of nuts and fruit, and a day given over to being right where I am, doing just one thing at a time.<\/p>\n

Food made with love and given in joy is always gratefully received. I can pretty much guarantee that a jar of homemade “glorious granola” is a gift no one will shove in the back of a closet or need to return on Dec. 26. \u00a0Just be sure to keep one jar for yourself.<\/p>\n

Are you making any gifts this year? \u00a0If so, what? \u00a0What is the best home-made gift you ever received? \u00a0I’d love to hear from you!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Glorious Granola (to keep or give away)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

a basic recipe with some variations<\/b><\/p>\n

1 14 oz. jar of organic coconut oil<\/p>\n

4 T. unsalted butter (more butter = more clumps; feel free to increase or decrease here)<\/p>\n

2 T. dark brown sugar<\/p>\n

1 cup dark maple syrup<\/p>\n

1 T. vanilla extract<\/p>\n

1 T. good quality cinnamon<\/p>\n

2 tsp. cardamom (optional)<\/p>\n

8-10 cups old-fashioned rolled oats<\/p>\n

1 cup of organic unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)<\/p>\n

4-6 cups raw, unsalted nuts (I generally use a combinations of sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and \u00a0pumpkin seeds, but sometimes I switch in cashews, pistachios, and\/or pecans.)<\/p>\n

1-2 cups raw sesame seeds<\/p>\n

4 cups mixed chopped dried fruit in any combination you like (sour cherries, cranberries, apricots, raisins, golden raisins, dates, plums, blueberries.)<\/p>\n

\u00bd cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional)<\/p>\n

Sea salt or Maldon salt flakes<\/p>\n

1. Heat the oven<\/b> to 325 degrees.<\/p>\n

2. In a saucepan<\/b> over medium-low heat, heat the coconut oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter until oil and butter are melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in a generous pinch of salt, the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cardamom if using.<\/p>\n

3. Place the rolled oats<\/b> and the mixed nuts in a large mixing bowl and pour the oil\/syrup mixture over. Stir with a spatula to coat the oats and nuts evenly. Divide the mixture between three jellyroll pans. (Make thin, even layers; you should have enough left in the bowl for at least three more pans after the first batch are done.\u00a0 If you like, line the pans with parchment \u2013 sometimes I do, but not always.) Taste for balance of flavors.<\/p>\n

4. Bake until golden brown,<\/b> about 30 minutes, rotating the sheets and stirring every ten minutes.<\/p>\n

5. While still warm, stir in the dried fruit and ginger and sprinkle with more salt flakes to taste.\u00a0 <\/b>\u00a0Cool completely before covering. \u00a0The mixture will keep in a tightly covered container at room temperature for at least a week.\u00a0 Store the rest in your freezer in zip-lock bags or pack into jars to share.<\/p>\n

A few tips<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>1. \u00a0<\/b>Feel free to play around with this basic recipe.\u00a0 As long as you don\u2019t over-sweeten or over-cook, you can\u2019t go wrong.\u00a0 Taste your way along.<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>2. \u00a0<\/b>You can use more butter, for a toastier, richer flavor and more clumps.\u00a0 Try fruit puree (apple is good) in place of the oil for a lighter, crunchier result.\u00a0 Cut back on the syrup or leave out the brown sugar if you prefer your granola less sweet.\u00a0 Canola or vegetable oil works fine in place of the coconut oil.\u00a0 Even a light olive oil works well. Any neutral oil is fine.<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>3. \u00a0<\/b>Be liberal with the Maldon salt flakes and taste to get desired result.\u00a0 What sets my granola apart is the perfect, subtle balance between slightly sweet and slightly salty.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>4. \u00a0<\/b>Try different combinations of spices, sweeteners, nuts, and fruits. \u00a0(I choose organic ingredients whenever possible.)<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>5. \u00a0<\/b>I like these:\u00a0 apricot\/cardamom\/crystallized ginger; grated orange zest (mix in with the oats and bake)\/cranberry\/maple; lavender buds\/lemon zest (again, bake in with oat mixture)\/honey.<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>6. \u00a0<\/b>Other things you can add, or not:\u00a0 carob powder, flax seeds, hemp seeds, dried mulberries, gojii berries.\u00a0 The recipe above is gluten-free; you can add wheat germ if gluten-free isn\u2019t a requirement for you.<\/b><\/p>\n

7. \u00a0Don\u2019t overcook but make sure granola is evenly browned throughout, stir every ten minutes, never bake the fruits; always mix them in to your still-warm granola.<\/b><\/p>\n

8. \u00a0Cool completely before covering, stirring occasionally. \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>9.\u00a0 <\/b>Consider the recipe above a work in progress and allow it to evolve as you go.\u00a0 This will make plenty of granola to divide up into generous gift portions, with some left for you.<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b>10.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b>For a lovely presentation, pack your granola into classic Weck Tulip Jars, available online at http:\/\/weckjars.com<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My grandmother Kenison crocheted afghans and made the world\u2019s best doughnuts, two skills I still wish I\u2019d learned from her before it was too late. She was also the first person I ever knew who made her own granola, back in the days when \u201chealth food\u201d was considered a fad, \u201corganic\u201d might as well have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,5,6,13],"tags":[118,189,197,214],"class_list":{"0":"post-2863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-at-the-table","8":"category-hearth-home","9":"category-holidays","10":"category-recipes","11":"tag-christmas","12":"tag-gifts","13":"tag-granola","14":"tag-holiday","15":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/600x600.png?fit=600%2C600","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/katrinakenison.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}