Showing posts with label cereals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cereals. Show all posts
I have always loved making my own granola. I have been making it since the early 1980's when my next-door neighbor at the time shared her recipe with me. I, for the life of me, could not get my children to eat oatmeal, but they gobbled up granola like crazy. I was grateful for that.
That original recipe was pretty primitive compared to the granola that I make today. Through the years I have experimented and adapted it to use different flavors and additions, and I have also tried other people's recipes with great success.
What can I say? I LOVE GRANOLA! It can be a really healthy and delicious way to get protein and fiber into your diet without adding a lot of fat or sugar. It's all in the mix, and if you add fresh fruit and some yogurt when you are eating it (my preferred way to eat it) then you have a really delicious and healthy breakfast option.
This week when I made it, I decided to try out a new recipe. I discovered this recipe on a page called The Kitchen Said. I loved that it didn't use anything other than what I already had in my larder. Nothing out of the ordinary.
It was a pretty basic recipe and also looked to be quite low in fat and sugar. That also appealed to me. High in fiber, low in fat, low in sugar. That is a pretty unbeatable combination in my books!
WHAT YOU NED TO MAKE MAPLE PECAN GRANOLA
This is a fairly simple version of granola and really doesn't take a lot of ingredients. The original recipe used only cinnamon, but I added a mixture of warm baking spices which gave it a lovely flavor!
- 3 cups (241g) old fashioned rolled oats (the large flake oats, not instant)
- 1 cup (120g) chopped pecan nuts
- 1/3 cup (71g) coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
I used an organic thick flake oats that my sister ordered for me online. It came out lovely. I like an oats with some tooth to it.
I used Kirkland pecan nuts, which I broke up with my hands. This kept the chunks nice and not too small.
I use pure Maple syrup, grade B which is darker. Don't use pancake syrup. It is not the same thing.
I make my own vanilla extract. You can find that recipe here. It is very easily done. Also the fresher your spices the nicer the flavors. They will have more oomph.
If you want to you can add some dried fruit after the granola finished toasting and has cooled down.
HOW TO MAKE MAPLE PECAN GRANOLA
Once you have made your own granola you will never settle for a store-bought granola again. There is a world of difference when it comes to flavor.
Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/ gas mark 3. Line a large, lipped, baking tray with some baking parchment. Set aside.
Toss the oats, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and salt together in a bowl.
Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the vanilla and the maple syrup. Whisk well together to combine.
Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oats and nuts, mixing well together.
Spread out evenly on the prepped baking tray.
Toast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Give it all a good stir and spread it out again. Toast for an additional 15 minutes until toasty and golden brown.
Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Enjoy in a bowl with your favorite breakfast toppings (fruit, yogurt, milk, kefir, etc.) or enjoy eaten out of hand as a wholesome snack.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING GREAT GRANOLA
If you follow my hints and tips, you will always have some great granola to eat and enjoy!
1. Granola needs some oil to keep it from being too dry. Olive oil and coconut oil are two delicious and healthy options.
2. Use a good old-fashioned large-flaked oats to make your granola. You can also add barley flakes for a tasty addition. Don't use quick or regular oats. They do not have enough "tooth."
3. I like to add a mixture of nuts, seeds and large flake unsweetened coconut when I make my granola most of the time. This adds lots of texture, protein and interest.
4. Don't add any dried fruit until the granola is done and cooled.
5. Use the right sized baking sheet for the amount of granola you are making. You want it to be pretty full so that the oats done burn. Also, if you press the oats down firmly in the pan you can get some nice clusters, if that is your thing.
This was really a very good granola, not too sweet and loaded with plenty of fiber. It was also very quick and easy to make. I loved the flavor that the coconut oil gave to it, and I thought my addition of a variety of warm baking spices was spot on!
Next time I will add more pecans as I really like a lot of nuts in my granola, but overall, this was delicious. I have been enjoying it in my favorite way with some Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. How will you enjoy yours?
I have been making my own granola in one way or another since the early 1980's when my children were all very young. As they wouldn't eat oatmeal back then, it was a great way to get them to eat oats and I thought was a very healthy option for them. Here are a few other granola recipes which I enjoy!
HONEY GRANOLA - A delicious recipe for a granola that uses a beautiful mix of nuts, oats, some Kashi go lean cereal, with olive or coconut oil and sweetened only with some honey. Once everything is all toasty and golden brown you can add any kind of dried fruit that you enjoy. I like dried cranberries and blueberries. This is a small batch recipe.
CHOCOLATE CINNAMON GRANOLA - Large flake oats and nuts are in equal measure in this granola which is flavored with cocoa powder and cinnamon. With only 1 TBS of maple syrup in the recipe and only 4 TBS of oil, it is low in fat, low in sugar, low in carbs and high in fiber. It is also delicious which makes this recipe a real winner!
Yield: Makes 8 plus servings
Maple Pecan Granola
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
Deliciously wholesome and not overly sweet, with a nice bit of spice and plenty of toasty pecans!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (241g) old fashioned rolled oats (the large flake oats, not instant)
- 1 cup (120g) chopped pecan nuts
- 1/3 cup (71g) coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C/ gas mark 3. Line a large, lipped, baking tray with some baking parchment. Set aside.
- Toss the oats, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and salt together in a bowl.
- Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the vanilla and the maple syrup. Whisk well together to combine.
- Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oats and nuts, mixing well together.
- Spread out evenly on the prepped baking tray.
- Toast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Give it all a good stir and spread it out again. Toast for an additional 15 minutes until toasty and golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
- Enjoy in a bowl with your favorite breakfast toppings (fruit, yogurt, milk, kefir, etc.) or enjoy eaten out of hand as a wholesome snack.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content, and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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A week or two back when I posted my recipe for Grape Nuts Bread on my Facebook page, it was brought to my attention that Grape Nuts Cereal is not something that you can really find here in Canada any longer. In the UK it was readily available in the cereal aisle.
My sister had made her own a few weeks back and was very impressed with what she had made. I tasted it at her place and enjoyed it also, so I asked her to share the recipe with me so that I could share it here with you. It is a recipe that she adapted from Food 52.
I am actually surprised that it is not available in Canada these days. It used to be. Grape Nut Ice Cream was always my mother's favorite ice cream.
I tried to find out online if there was a reason for it not being available here in Canada and all I could find out was that during the Covid Pandemic there was a shortage of it and that they had hoped it to be back on the shelves in Spring 2021.
Well, here it is, almost Spring 2024 and still no Grape Nuts. So I don't know what is up with that, but no worries because we can now make our own, and it is every bit as delicious as the original, if not more so! I am so impressed with this copycat grape nuts cereal recipe that I may never buy a box again!
At least I can pronounce the names of all of the ingredients!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOMEMADE GRAPE NUTS CEREAL
A few simple ingredients. That's all. A stove. Baking sheets. A food processor. Simple. I can tell you where to source the ingredients that are not that easy to find.
- 3 cups (420g) coarse grind whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup (31g) barley or wheat bran
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (145g) barley malt syrup
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
You can find the coarse grind whole wheat flour at any health food store or on line via someplace like Amazon. If all else fails I am sure you could use regular all purpose whole wheat flour.
The Malt Syrup can also be bought at health food stores and online. During the War they used to give a spoonful of malt extract to children every day to keep up their health. Its filled with vitamins.
I purchased mine at my local health food store and it cost me $12.99 for the bottle. You can also use it to make Malt Loaf, which is a favorite British loaf that is enjoyed often with cup of hot tea.
You can purchase the exact brand I used online in Canada here. Or here in the USA. In the U.K. it is found in most grocery stores or health food purveyors.
Barley or wheat bran is also very available at health food shops or online.
Buttermilk is found in the diary aisle of most shops. If you cannot find any, you can make a simple substitute by combining equal amounts of plain full fat yogurt and full fat milk.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE GRAPE NUTS CEREAL
This really isn't difficult to make at all. You do need a food processor to cut the time down a bit. You can crumble the cereal by hand, but a food processor really makes short work of it.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a sheet pan with some baking parchment. Set aside.
Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a beaker. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir well together until thoroughly combined.
Spread this mixture out evenly on the baking sheet. (I found that using damp hands helped with this. I had a large baking sheet. 18 inches by 26 inches.)
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set the sheet pan on a wire rack to cool for 35 to 40 minutes.
Lower the oven temperature to 275*F/135*C.
Once cold, break into chunks. Working in batches, pulse the chunks in a food processor, a bit at a time, into coarse crumbs, about the size of small peas and grains of rice.
Line two baking sheets (again 18 inches by 26 inches) with baking parchment. Divide the crumbs amongst the two sheets, spreading them out evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Stir every fifteen minutes and rotate the placement of the sheets. At the end of that time the cereal should be lovely and crunchy.
Allow to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.
This was excellent. I enjoyed a small bowl of it along with some milk and lightly sweetened strawberries. It was easily one of my favorite breakfasts I have ever had. I will be making this regularly!
If you want an extra way to use up some of the cereal, I can highly recommend my recipe for Grape Nuts Bread. Its excellent!
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here are a few other delicious options for you to choose from when deciding what to prepare for your family:
BIG BRAN BREAKFAST COOKIES - Cookies for breakfast? Yes please! These are loaded with fiber and raisins and go down very well with a glass of cold milk, juice or a hot drink. The recipe makes 16 lovely, breakfast sized cookies. They also freeze well, so you can bake them up, wrap and freeze, ready to take out when you are ready to eat.
BRAN AND FRUIT BREAKFAST BREAD - This is one of my favorite breakfast breads. It is loaded with dried apricots and prunes. She is not much to look at but toasts beautifully and is delicious toasted and spread with butter. Yummy!
Yield: 14 servings
Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 25 MInactive time: 40 MinTotal time: 2 H & 15 M
No longer available where I live, this homemade copycat version of Grape Nuts Cereal is every bit as delicious as the original boxed one. Well flavored, not too sweet, nice and crisp.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420g) coarse grind whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup (31g) barley or wheat bran
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (145g) barley malt syrup
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line a sheet pan with some baking parchment. Set aside.
- Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a beaker. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir well together until thoroughly combined.
- Spread this mixture out evenly on the baking sheet. (I found that using damp hands helped with this. I had a large baking sheet. 18 inches by 26 inches.)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set the sheet pan on a wire rack to cool for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Lower the oven temperature to 275*F/135*C.
- Once cold, break into chunks. Working in batches, pulse the chunks in a food processor, a bit at a time, into coarse crumbs, about the size of small peas and grains of rice.
- Line two baking sheets (again 18 inches by 26 inches) with baking parchment. Divide the crumbs amongst the two sheets, spreading them out evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Stir every fifteen minutes and rotate the placement of the sheets. At the end of that time the cereal should be lovely and crunchy.
- Allow to cool completely and then store in an airtight container.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
I have always loved making my own granola. My next door neighbor Mabel shared with me her recipe for homemade granola back in the 1980's and I started making it then. It was something my family always loved.
Its a highly nutritious cereal and if you can make your own from scratch it is a bazillion times more tastier than anything you can buy in the shops. You get to control the sugars yourself and you get to choose more natural types of sugars than the manufacturers use.
This Olive Oil & Maple Granola is a recipe I small-batched that I found on the Food52 site, attributed to Nekisia David. You can click through to the full sized version if you like. It makes 7 cups.
The Food 52 recipe has also been adapted very slightly from Early Bird Foods' best-selling Farmhand's Choice Granola. It has a beautiful flavor and is loaded with plenty of toasted pecans, two kinds of seeds, and coconut chips.
I love the large flake oatmeal. Its pretty much the only oatmeal I keep in the house, although I do also have some pinhead oatmeal, which I love cooked for breakfast.
You can always blitz the large flaked oats in a food processor to break it down to make a quicker version of oats if you need that. I find large flake oatmeal fulfils almost all of my oatmeal needs.
Once I started making my own homemade granola I was never satisfied with store bought granola again. The difference in taste is phenomenal. It just tastes so much fresher and the oats are always so much crunchier.
You can also adapt it very easily to your own tastes. You can add what nuts you enjoy, or a mix of nuts.
Granola is something that makes a nice wholesome snack as well. You can carry a small bag or container of it in your purse and then you always have something nutritious to help to keep the hungries at bay and make those candy bars less attractive!
You can of course add dried fruit to the mix once it is baked, and I often do, but I find that the fruit can get really dried out so these days I tend to add it when I go to eat it. Much fresher and softer, but a lovely balance of sweet and tart at the same time.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OLIVE OIL & MAPLE GRANOLA
Very simple store cupboard ingredients. These are really only suggestions. You can use any nut or seed that you wish to use in the same quantities.
- 1 1/2 cups (156g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (85g) raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (80g) hulled raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup (70g) hulled raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup (38g) unsweetened coconut chips
- 6 TBS (131g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
It is important that you use raw and unsalted nuts for this mix. I will often mix two of three different kinds just for variety when I make my granola. Some favorites are pecans (of course), but I am also very fond of macadamia nuts, cashews and walnuts.
Do make sure you use the good old fashioned large flaked oats.
Use only pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. That is not real maple syrup but corn syrup with a maple flavoring. They are not the same thing. Maple syrup is a natural ingredient and much better for you.
This is one case where I will recommend extra virgin olive oil. It is a place where the flavor of it does make a difference.
Did you know that regular brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added. The more molasses the darker the sugar.
I prefer mine to be a natural brown sugar, not a bleached sugar with molasses added back in. That is just me however, so you go ahead and use whatever brown sugar you want to use.
HOW TO MAKE OLIVE OIL & MAPLE GRANOLA
As I said this is a small batch. It is very simple to make and you won't believe how much more delicious it is than any prepackaged varieties!
Preheat the oven to 300*F/149*C. Have ready a medium sized rimmed baking sheet that you have lined with a piece of baking parchment or a silicone liner.
Measure the oats, pecans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and coconut into a bowl. Stir in the olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar and salt. Mix everything well together
Spread out onto the baking sheet in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every fifteen minutes, for about 45 minutes in total, or until the granola is evenly toasted and golden brown.
Taste and add up to 1/4 tsp of extra salt if you think it needs it. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to one month at room temperature.
Trust me when I say that this is so delicious that you will be making more of it before the month is out. Its fabulous eaten out of hand.
Not too sweet, lovely and nutty and beautifully textured.
This is how I usually enjoy my granola. In a small bowl along with a nice dollop of thick unsweetened Greek yogurt and some dried or fresh fruit on the side.
Today it was a nice big soft and lovely Medjool date. Sometimes, if I have any, I will also squirt a bit of date syrup on top. Oh, how I love date syrup. Its not so easy to find here for some reason. I think I a going to have to figure out how to make my own!
As I said, I simply love granola and I love to make many different kinds depending on my mood. Here is one of the different granolas I have made through the years and also a tasty recipe to use your granola in to make your own granola bars!
CHOCOLATE CINNAMON GRANOLA -A filling, fiber filled breakfast alternative that is low in sugars and deliciously high in protein and flavor. This granola is almost half nuts and half oats, with the addition of unsweetened cocoa powder and cinnamon for extra flavor. There is only 1 TBS of maple syrup in the whole recipe. Its a great alternative to the highly processed cereals and ideal for diabetics.
WHITE CHOCOLATE AND CRANBERRY GRANOLA BARS - Children love these and they are a much healthier option than the ready made granola bars you find in the shops. With less fat and sugar and plenty of fiber and protein, you can feel good about making these for the kids and for yourself! A wonderful healthy alternative to cookies and squares and a great snack/meal replacement for when you are on the go.
Yield: Makes 3 1/2 cups
Olive Oil & Maple Granola
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min
This is a small batch of one of the most delicious granolas I make. You can swap out the nuts and seeds for other types of nuts and seeds as you wish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (156g) old fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (85g) raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (80g) hulled raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup (70g) hulled raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup (38g) unsweetened coconut chips
- 6 TBS (131g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed soft light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300*F/149*C. Have ready a medium sized rimmed baking sheet that you have lined with a piece of baking parchment or a silicone liner.
- Measure the oats, pecans, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and coconut into a bowl. Stir in the olive oil, maple syrup, brown sugar and salt. Mix everything well together
- Spread out onto the baking sheet in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every fifteen minutes, for about 45 minutes in total, or until the granola is evenly toasted and golden brown.
- Taste and add up to 1/4 tsp of extra salt if you think it needs it. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to one month at room temperature.
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