Tips for Making the Perfect Granola (2024)

Deniese L. Zeringue

• Granola is a crisp wholegrain cereal based on oats. It's slightly sweetened with honey, sugar or maple syrup and usually contains nuts and dried fruit. Muesli, on the other hand, is often unsweetened and not baked, so it has a softer texture.
• Oats provide slow-release energy to keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer. We’ve used natural sources of unrefined sugar – maple syrup, apple juice and dried fruit – to produce a crunchy granola that’s full of flavor without being sickly sweet, and there’s very little oil, making this lighter than a traditional granola.
• Visit a health food shop and pick up your favorite combination of dried fruits, nuts and seeds. As long as you keep the basic quantities the same, you can make this granola your own by using the ingredients you like best.
• To make Bircher muesli instead of granola, make the master recipe without the liquid mixture (there’s no need to bake either). For one portion, measure out 60g of the dried oats and seeds into a bowl and add 150ml apple juice and 100ml water. Put in the fridge overnight. Serve with extra juice or milk along with some fresh fruit and yogurt.
• The liquid added to the oats and seeds before baking softens the oats and helps them to form the characteristic granola clusters. You can squeeze the wet mixture together with your hands before spreading on the baking sheet to encourage them to form clusters.
• Make a tropical granola by adding strips of dried fruit such as coconut, mango, pineapple and papaya to the oats near the end of baking.
• Put handfuls of granola in food bags to take to work, or give to the kids to take to school as a crunchy, portable snack.
• If you find the granola is too sweet or not sweet enough, adjust the quantity of maple syrup in the recipe to taste.

1. Have all your ingredients ready to mix together.
2. Warm the oil, apple juice, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Stir to combine.
3. Pour the liquid mixture over the oats and seeds and mix well.
4. Spread the granola out on 1 large or 2 smaller lined baking trays.
5. Stir in the cranberries or raisins and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Cool, then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Directions
Preheat oven to 320 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment paper or aluminum foil. In a large bowl, add the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, seeds, nuts and coconut. Mix thoroughly. In a medium saucepan, add the brown sugar, salt, maple syrup, honey, applesauce, oil, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly then bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat then mix in the vanilla. Being careful not to burn yourself, pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Evenly spread the granola onto the baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven 20 - 25 minutes or until it reaches your desired level of tastiness. Stir every 5 - 7 minutes. Be careful not to burn it. NOTE: The granola will clump and harden while cooling - not during baking. Allow to cool before stirring in the raisins, cranberries, or craisins. If stored in an airtight container, your granola could last for 2 weeks.

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