Cook the Book: America’s Favorite Granola
As I’ve told you before, I’m a snacker. I have an embarrassing amount of food (oatmeal, almonds, crackers, peanut butter…) stashed in my desk drawer at work and I refuse to leave the house to run errands without packing a little bag of almonds or raisins. That being said, when I was challenged to make a recipe from our brand new cookbook, MyRecipes America’s Favorite Food, the Molasses-Almond Granola from Cooking Light was a no-brainer. Complete with oats, almonds, dried fruit, and a touch of wheat germ, this recipe not only looked delicious, but healthy, too. AKA: the perfect snack.
So, here’s what happened (click on any image to see the slideshow):
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- 1. First, I gathered all the ingredients. I couldn’t find the dried currants the recipe called for, so I substituted golden raisins.
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- 2. Toss oats, almonds, and wheat germ in the food processor.
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- 3. Pulse 10 times or until coarsely chopped. Easy peasy.
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- 4. Combine the processed oat mixture with sea salt and cinnamon, then spread on a baking sheet for a light toasting: 325° for about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally to keep the mixture from burning.
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- 5. Ta-Da! Nice and golden. Place the newly toasted oat mixture in a medium bowl and stir in your currants (or golden raisins in my case).
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- 6. In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, molasses, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Cook until sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes.
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- 7. Pour your cranberry-molasses mixture over your toasted oat mixture and toss to coat.
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- 8. Spread the mixture evenly on a parchment-covered baking sheet and get that granola in the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes—but be sure to keep an eye on it: no one likes burnt granola!
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- 9. Nice and toasty granola success! I snuck a bite before breaking into small pieces—I loved the perfect balance of sweet and salty in this recipe.
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- 10. Once the granola cooled completely, I stored the batch in a large mason jar (with some left over to snack on).
All-in-all the granola took only about an hour to make from start to finish; not a bad way to spend an afternoon! With ingredients to spare, making granola from scratch is not only healthier than the packaged, store-bought stuff, it’s also very cost effective. The granola lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge (although, between my husband and me, it only lasted about a week). Plus, I’m thinking little jars of granola might make a nice gift this holiday season.
Have you ever made homemade granola? What are your favorite ingredients to add?
The MyRecipes America’s Favorite Food cookbook is now available. Order your copy from Amazon or Barnes & Noble (ebooks are available!) and Cook the Book with us on your blog! #CooktheBook
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