Granola yummmmmm!

I finished making the granola, and it turned out pretty well. I was interested to read on that other site, that I referenced in my previous post, that the thing that makes granola clump together is the oat flour. I wonder if wheat flour serves the same purpose? Because the recipe that I used calls for wheat flour. This granola that I made does have some clumps in it. Maybe if I were to use a mixer and mix it together more thoroughly next time it would clump even more. But, whether or not it clumps, it does taste good, and it is crispy-crunchy. They were right--as it cooled it got crispy. I do recommend that simple little recipe. As for the coconut, I haven't really even tasted it in there, so I think it could be optional. I was not able to find freeze-dried apples in my food storage stuff after all, so I didn't put apples in; just raisins and almonds. I hope to acquire some dried apples sometime in the near future, and when I do, I'll use them.

This one is a keeper.

We started a wish-list of things we'd like to buy. Topping that list is a food dehydrator. The mini-orchard that we planted year before last will be producing soon, and, in addition to bottling fruit, I would love to dry apples, peaches, pears and plums. Yummmm!

Honey Coconut Granola

This is from the Cookin' with Home Storage book by Peggy Layton. I am trying this recipe because I happen to have coconut in my fridge that needs to be used, and I like granola, and this sounds like something simple that I can do with the ingredients I have on hand.

4 cups rolled grain (I'm using oatmeal)

1 cup coconut

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup cooking oil

3/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Thoroughly mix together. Spread on a cookie sheet, bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes stirring occasionally while baking.

After cooking add any or all of the following:

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (don't have today)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped almonds or pecans (I have some almonds)

1/4 cup sesame seeds (not today, sorry)

1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit (I have raisins and I may have a can of dehydrated apples)

*Note: Stirring these things together was interesting, as the honey made them clump all together. I thought I could manage with a wooden spoon, but used a table knife to help me scrape and separate the clumps. An electric mixer would probably be even better. Spreading it out on the pan makes for a soft, pleasing texture. The smell of this baking is really, really good. It smells like honey and vanilla and oats all in one. Reminds me of lovely-scented lotion or a skin treatment of some kind.

*Note 2: I set the timer for 5 minutes at a time so I could stir it every five minutes. Not sure what the point is of baking it. Is it just to melt the honey so it's easier to stir things together? Or is it supposed to cook the oatmeal or toast it or something? I do like my granola to be crunchy, not mushy.

Aha! After baking it for 25 minutes, I did an internet search of "How long should I bake granola?" I came up with additional instructions from: PreparedPantry.com:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except for the dried fruit. Set the dried fruit aside.
2. In another bowl mix the sweetener, oil, and extract together.
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
4. Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the granola with a large spatula so that it does not over-brown on the bottom and edges. Add the optional fruit and nuts.
5. Return the granola to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet. Letting the granola cool on the baking sheet will retain the clumps. Once the granola has cooled, scrape it into a large bowl.
6. Store your granola in a sealed container and use within ten days. May be stored for longer periods in the refrigerator or freezer.
   

So now I'm adding the additional almonds and raisins and apples. Stay tuned for a future post telling you how it turned out.

p.s. I don't know why this part is printed in all caps as if I were shouting!

Homemade Granola Bars

Here's a recipe for homemade granola bars that I just tried:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil or other oil

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup combination of things like coconut, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, dried fruit, and maybe even chocolate chips

Melt peanut butter, honey and oil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the oatmeal, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Spread in an 8x8 pan and refrigerate for 2 hours or more, then cut into bars.

I just put it together, and it is quite tasty. For the 1-cup combination of other ingredients, I used coconut, sunflower seeds, raisins and wheat germ. Some of my ingredients have been in the cupboard for a while and taste a little old, but it is still good. Oh, and I stirred in a few chocolate chips as well. It works for me!

Ellen