Spending a Fortune in the Beginning
I love granola! I have always loved morsels of crunchy oats, though it became a fueling necessity when I took up distance running many years ago. For about 15 years since my introduction to granola, I’ve always just bought boxes and bags of fancy stuff from specialty grocery stores wherever I lived or traveled to. If I was in Singapore, I’d be trolling the healthfood stores there for granola. If I were in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur, I’d do the same. They were on the pricey side when I was based in Asia, but I liked the stuff so much, that I spent a fortune on them.
Then I started eating so much of it, the price tag was the least of my concern. I started being concerned about how many grams of sugar I was consuming, what oil they’re using (if it’s GMO or not), and if they the products contained ingredients I didn’t want in my food. The other thing was, since I was eating granola so often, I also started noticing things I liked and disliked about different brands of granola; like taste, texture, and how hard it is on my jaw when I chewed it.
When I Started Changing it Up
Since I wasn’t that great at baking in those days, I started making my own no-bake softer-on-the-jaw energy bars, and reduced my impulse to buy store-bought granola. That is, until I met my husband, whose “French patisserie-like” baking talent and skills, is the reason I stopped talking to all other eligible suitors, and ended up being his wife.
Married Granola Tastes Better Than Single Granola
This is the healthy, organic, and delicious granola we make at home. We haven’t eaten store-bought stuff in years, because when you get older, your standards get higher. This is just way fresher, cleaner, healthier, and tastes so much better.
The hubby has spent years simplifying and perfecting this recipe! It’s not too sweet, has cardamom (which we both love), it’s crunchy, but most of all it is not pebbly and rock hard like most of the store-bought granola. This recipe is all-organic, and has no hidden sugars other than the conservative levels of natural organic agave syrup we use, which is lower in GI.
Low and Slow is the Name of the Game Here
It’s important to note that this recipe takes 1 hour of baking time to get the perfect golden brown crunchiness. I don’t like biting into jaw breakers, so this recipe is just easier on the jaws while maintaining a nice crispy crunchiness. I especially love it in a yogurt parfait or as a smoothie topping. Enjoy this, and tell me what you think in the comments section below!
P.S: If you have a sweeter tooth, use 1 cup of agave. Our palette is more primed to prefer lightly sweetened foods in favor of letting the other ingredients shine, but if you’re into desserts for the sugar, you might want to double the syrup.
Olive Oil Granola
Ingredients
- 6 cups of organic rolled oats or gluten-free oats
- 2 cups of your favorite nuts and seeds
- 1 cup of coconut chips or grated coconut
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt optional
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup organic extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 to 3/4 agave or maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 290F
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add all your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and mix it thoroughly.
- Add oil into the dry ingredients.
- Add syrup into the dry ingredients.
- Once your ingredients are fully incorporated, transfer your mixture to the baking tray.
- Spread your granola evenly so that the entire surface is the same thickness.
- Transfer the baking tray into the oven, and bake for 30 minutes.
- After 30-35 minutes, rotate the tray 180º and increase the oven temperature to 295F and bake it for another 30-35 minutes.
- Remove baking tray from oven, and place it on a cooling rack. Make sure your granola is completely cooled off before transferring it to your airtight containers.
