Yet Another Granola Recipe

You'll recall that we turned out reject toffee into granola, and while it was delicious, it wasn't very "chunky" so we needed to do some more experimenting!

This website gave some good ideas for how to make clumps form in granola. They seem to make sense.

1. Add egg whites.
2. Use a low oven temperature (less than 325 degrees).
3. Don't stir while baking or cooling.
4. Powderize some of the oats.

Before I found that list, I tried this recipe, although I left out the brown sugar and made a half batch. It was much clumpier than our old one, probably because it utilized two of the above tips. It wasn't super crispy, so I tried adding egg whites and powderized oats. That didn't work, so I won't be doing that again. Cooking it a bit longer did the trick. However, even the reject batches made a delicious, quick and easy camping breakfast, layered with yogurt and strawberries (for me) or topped with milk (for Wayne).

Granola 2021

• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 cups oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup craisins and/or coconut

Combine all ingredients (except the craisins) and press lightly on a cookie sheet. (Leaving a "hole" in the center helps it get crispy more evenly.) Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool in pan one hour, then stir in craisins. Note that you can vary the "add-ins" - just make them equal to 1 1/2 cups. Consider different nuts or dried fruit, coconut, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, etc.

While cleaning out my recipe file, I found a couple more granola recipes. Susan's version was deemed a success in 2012, and it worked in 2023 as well.

Susan's Granola

• 5 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups dried fruit, tropical mix

Combine everything except the dried fruit and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Add the dried fruit and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool.

Note: This makes a huge batch; dividing it in half would probably be fin in the future, at least for us.

Here's the one that was successful in 1997:

Granola

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup dry milk
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup raisins

Mix brown sugar, oil and honey in a sauce pan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Combine the dry ingredients (except the raisins) in a 9x13" pan. Pour sugar mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well with hands. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool in pan, then stir in raisins.

Updated 2021: Tried this recipe again, although using craisins instead of raisins. It's tasty, but don't leave the sugar mixture boiling for 10 minutes! One ought to do it.

Here's another recipe to try. The author suggested that the bran flakes and wheat germ provided a base for clusters to develop. I like the idea of using coconut oil and maple syrup instead of canola oil and honey. And maybe I will try adding an egg white to the mix someday.

Nothing But Clusters Granola

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup bran flake cereal
• 1 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup raw pecans
• ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ⅓ cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ½ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
• 1 large egg white, beaten until thick and foamy

Combine all dry ingredients in a sheet pan. Drizzle maple syrup and coconut oil over the oat mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly coated. Do the same with the egg white.

Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir, then bake for another 15-20 minutes without stirring, until toasted and golden. Let cool for an hour, then break up and store in an air-tight container.