Honey Nut Granola
May 14, 2009
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Once in a while you get a new bibelot that inspires a wave of creativity. I remember the feeling most vividly as a student–a spiffy new pencil or pen could give rise to beautifully maintained notebooks and florid doodles. The thrill might last a day or so, but I’ll always remember the excitement and energy that could be generated by a simple tool. Such is the nature of Ball jars, now that I’m more invested in my pantry than in my college-ruled notebooks. Before inspiring me to completely redo my kitchen, a box of Ball jars enticed me to send edible gifts for Mother’s Day, rather than ordering the usual batches of pink peonies for the moms in my life.
At first, I debated what to make to fill these charmingly antique-y vessels. They have the same quality as a Polaroid photo: instant vintage appeal, straight out of the box. A gift sent in a Ball jar is like a glimpse into kitchens past– natural, thoughtful, straight from the farm. So, I debated typical homestead canning options…tomato sauce? My vines haven’t thrown nearly enough fruit to fill two quart-sized jars. Nor did I want to oblige my recipients to make themselves spaghetti on Mother’s Day evening. Plus totally savory seemed, well… not sweet enough. Jam, then? Once again, the harvest was an issue, and I wasn’t sure a single woman could get through a quart of fruit preserve, no matter how deep her affection for toast.
What would have ample volume, a sweet taste, and last at least as long as a bunch of flowers? What could be slightly sweet, slightly salty; slightly crunchy, slightly silky; mostly healthy, but satisfyingly decadent? It came to me, like an oat oasis to a hippie in a butcher shop: GRANOLA.
If you’ve ever bought granola, you know it’s typically sold dry. This recipe holds a lot of moisture, and its chewy quality complements the honey and sweet coconut as they release their flavors into a bowl of milk. Each bite is punctuated by a crispy, toasted nut or a toothsome piece of fruit.
Honey Nut Granola:
2 c old fashioned oats
1 c sweet, shredded coconut
1 c thinly sliced almonds
1/2 c canola oil
1/4 c honey
.5 c toasted, chopped pecans
.5 c toasted, chopped, salted cashews
.5 c chopped prunes
.5 c chopped dried apricots
.5 c dried raspberries, blueberries or strawberries (or a mix)
.5 c dried cranberries
(Or try any combination of your favorite dried fruit.)
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Preheat oven to 375.
Mix oats, coconut and almonds in a large bowl.
Whisk oil and honey in a small bowl.
Combine the oat mixture with the oil mixture and spread into 2 large baking sheets.
Bake until coconut is light brown and oats and nuts are fragrant–about 35 minutes.
Let cool slightly then add dried fruits, pecans and cashews to the mixture. (Adding the fruits and remaining nuts while the oats are still warm will help hold the granola’s moisture.)
Transfer to Ball jars and store in the refrigerator until devoured: this batch doubles easily if you’ve got multiple moms or mouths to please.
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