Almond + Goji Berry Granola

 

Granola is not as big here as it is in The States.

When I travelled (which seems like a lifetime ago now), I was surprised to see that granola was a staple for most of the cafes – especially in New York. Here in Australia, muesli is far more common fare, both in the home and in local eateries.

Rather than buying prepackaged, I prefer to make my own natural muesli. I enjoy experimenting with different fruit and nut combinations, and I like being in control of the freshness, the nut/seed/oat ratios and the quality of the ingredients. It is dead simple to make a big batch and keep on hand for a quick and filling summer breakfast.

Today I decided to make a batch of granola, for a nice change. I haven’t made it for years and I had a couple of good ideas to make it a little more nourishing than I had in the past. Granola generally has a fair bit of sugar and butter added to make a chewy kinda caramel, I decided to go with a healthier maple syrup and coconut oil instead.

Serve your granola with or without milk, yoghurt, and fresh fruit. It is as delicious on it’s own as it is paired with your favourite toppings.

Almond + Goji Berry Granola

Adapted from the fabulous Love and Lemons

– 1 cup rolled oats
– 1/2 cup flaked almonds
– 1/3 cup shredded coconut
– 1/4 cup pepitas
– 1/3 cup goji berries
– pinch sea salt
– 1 Tbsp coconut oil
– tsp cinnamon
– 3 Tbsp maple syrup

Place a large heavy based pan over medium heat and toast your oats for a couple of minutes, add a pinch of salt and the coconut oil and keep toasting for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Next add the maple syrup and stir to coat. Make sure your pan is not too hot, the maple burns easily.

Add the pepitas, cinnamon, coconut and flaked almonds and keep toasting gently, stirring intermittently.

Once everything is nice and golden, remove from heat and stir through the goji berries. Transfer mixture to a bowl to cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

This makes about 2 cups of granola.

If you double the recipe, as I did, make sure you toast the mixture in two separate batches. You need a nice thin layer in the pan so it browns evenly.