I saw this article in the New York Times about granola made with olive oil a while back. It sounded tasty but I was in no hurry to make it. Then I picked up a bag of Early Bird Granola, the granola in which the aforementioned recipe is based on, and I suddenly realized why that olive oil granola warranted a whole article in the food section of the Times. Ummm… this stuff is crazy awesome. Like jump up and down in the kitchen and hand me that bag. I pulled up that article and got to work making my own batch. The result is a salty and sweet concoction that is one heck of a way to start the day.
The recipe calls for all sorts of goodies, from pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to coconut flakes to maple syrup and of course olive oil. Somehow I managed to have just about everything in my pantry. Lucky, lucky me. Granola is one of those recipes that is all about a little of this, a little of that. So while the NYT recipe calls for pistachios, I used macadamia nuts instead because that’s what I had.
After tossing all the dry ingredients together I added the wet and gave it a good mixing. I popped the baking sheet in the oven for 40 minutes and gave it a stir about every 10 minutes.
When the 40 minutes were up and my granola had become golden and crispy, I pulled it out and let it cool on the counter. Of course I quickly snapped up a pinch to see if it was as magical as the real deal. I have to admit, it was a different kind of magic. I think this recipe gets really close. It’s totally delicious and certainly something that will get devoured over the course of this week. All the flavors work together to create a complex crunchy, salty, sweet morning treat. But it’s not quite the same as that bag of Early Bird Granola. I have an idea of how to get it a little closer… I think the NYT recipe has a few too many sweet elements in it. But that’s another day. Right now I’m going to enjoy my granola over a nice serving of yogurt.
olive oil granola
based on this recipe from the New York Times
makes about 9 cups
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cups macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup coconut chips
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup chopped dried cherries
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
1
In a large bowl, combine oats, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom.
2
Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
3
Transfer granola to a large bowl and add cherries, tossing to combine.
4
Serve over yogurt or with ricotta and fruit, if desired.
August 17th, 2009 at 6:47 am
this looks fantastic. where does one find coconut chips? i see them in flake form all the time, but chips… hmmm.
PS i am in awe of your photography skills!
August 17th, 2009 at 7:54 am
This sounds delicious! Although not “lo-cal”, this is probably very high in the good kind of fats with all the nuts and olive oil.
August 17th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I picked up pepitas this weekend to whip up a batch but you beat me too it!
I am obsessed with this granola from Milk & Honey in Chicago called: Vegan Papaya Cashew and I need to try to recreate it. It is so good.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
i can definitely go for some of this right now… with one of those morning cocktails you post every friday.
August 17th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I did something similar with olive oil–of course being the author of a book on it. It’s so much better than store bought. Made two batches. Love some of your ingredients–nuts, cherries, pumpkin seeds. I had to include dark chocolate chips, 60% cacoa content, raisins, pecans…so many things to add, so little time. Time for another batch. Good choice on syrup. I splurged on the real gourmet stuff and totally worth it.
http://www.calorey.blogspot.com
The Writing Gourmet
August 17th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I’m with you. Whipped up a batch of olive oil granola last week and it was gone in no time flat. I’ve been on a granola-making binge ever since!
August 17th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
It really is delicious. I blogged about the same exact recipe just over a week ago!: http://small-measure.blogspot.com/2009/08/crunchy-granola-types.html
August 17th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
crunchy granola gal-
coconut chips are just wide coconut flakes. you can see them in the lower right photo in the second grouping. you could also just used shredded coconut.
ashley-
i saw your post about the granola and it was just another reason to try it out… so good!
August 21st, 2009 at 1:23 am
I have granola for breakfast almost every day of my life. So I will have plenty opportunities to try this!
August 21st, 2009 at 5:45 am
This sounds fantastic! I’m definitely whipping up a batch to go on the Greek yogurt I get each week at the farmers market! Thanks for sharing!
August 27th, 2009 at 10:20 am
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Here’s a recipe with olive oil, which is healthier than using veg oil
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can tell you that, inspired by The New York Times.
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