Granola

I love all the things that go into making granola, but I really don't care much for granola.  I remember when Quaker's 100% Natural granola first hit the shelves; it was a massive hit in our house and I ate loads of it. I can only think that I OD'ed on it and that's why I no longer care for it.

Fast forward to present day, when I found this "it will change your life" cult-following granola recipe and decided to give it a try.  I don't hate granola, and it's nice to have a crunchy, healthy snack in the house.

There are loads of variations suggested, but I went for the straight recipe to start.  The only change was that I had forgotten to add the brown sugar before spreading it out on the baking sheet.  I wasn't sure I wanted more sugar, and I really didn't feel like piling the mix back into the bowl, already in the sink.  But I also didn't want to miss out on the deep, toasty richness that brown sugar (aka molasses) could add.  So I just drizzled some molasses (maybe two tablespoons?) across the top and mixed it in.

Here's what I used:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
1¼ cups raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (see introduction)
1½ teaspoon coarse salt, to taste

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Spread mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until granola is toasted and dry, about 45 minutes.  Remove granola from oven and season with more salt to taste, if desired.  Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

I had more liquid in the bowl as I dumped it out than she does in the video, and the mix seemed fairly damp.  It might have something to do with the maple syrup and how liquidy or thick that is.  My maple syrup did not have a strong maple flavor, so it probably could have been reduced a bit more in processing, thus rendering it more flavorful and thicker.  I also baked it about an extra 10 minutes, as it still seemed damp prior to that.  Perhaps only a 1/2 cup of syrup next time would reduce the liquid and the sweetness.

Conclusion:  One of the nicest things about making your own granola is that you can toast it to the degree you like, which for me is more than what I get in store bought granola.  And whether it was the oil or the molasses, this recipe has a really nice crispness to it, rather than being crunchy.  I especially like the little bursts of coarse salt that sparkle on the tongue.  However, I'm glad I didn't add the brown sugar as it was plenty sweet as it was.  Perhaps could even be a little less so.  And I'm wondering what the maple syrup added...  Could I use a plain sugar syrup and add a little maple flavoring?  This is a fairly expensive recipe, so anything that would cut costs would help.

Recipe:  Nekisia Davis' Olive Oil & Maple Granola via Food 52