The original recipe is from Deb Perelman's SMITTEN KITCHEN and is called Big Cluster Maple Walnut Granola, but I've adapted it quite a bit. You can just call this version DEBS' GRANOLA. You can adjust your types of nuts and fruits and the amount of sweetener, but the most important thing is the egg white, so don't leave that out!
DEBS' GRANOLA
-- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
--1 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
--1/2 cup raw walnuts, 1/2 cup raw pecans, 1/2 cup raw almonds, all roughly chopped
--1/2 cup flax seeds (I use the golden toasted flax seeds from Trader Joe's)
--1/4 tsp cinnamon
--1/2 tsp Kosher salt
--2/3 cup maple syrup
--2 Tbs coconut oil, melted
--1 large egg white
--1 tsp vanilla
--3/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries, roughly chopped
--3/4 cup dried wild blueberries
Instructions
1--Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2--In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, flax seed, cinnamon, salt, and the chopped nuts.
3--In a small bowl whisk egg white until frothy. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut oil to the egg white, then mix liquid into dry ingredients.
4--Spread the mixture onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer about 1 inch thick. It should look like this.
5--Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes, turning the pan at least once. Check regularly to make sure the granola is not burning around the edges. You might need to turn up the oven temperature just a bit.
6--When the granola looks golden, take the pan out and place it on a wire rack. I just use the top of my gas stove. Let it cool completely, then very gently lift up clusters of granola with a metal spatula.
Here's where I really go off the reservation with this recipe, because for me at this point, the granola clusters are still very sticky. I put the pan back in a 200 F oven for at least 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the pan in the oven until the granola is completely cool. I usually leave mine overnight.
7--When cool and dry to the touch, break granola into your desired size clusters. Gently stir in the dried fruit, then transfer granola to an airtight container.
Here's my last finished batch.
The really bad thing about this is that you'll never want to eat store-bought granola again!
Enjoy, and tell us what you're cooking for autumn!
