Photo by James Ransom
Genius Recipes's Notes:
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3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
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1 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
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1 cup raw sunflower seeds, hulled
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1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
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1 1/4 cup raw pecans, left whole or coarsely chopped
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3/4 cup pure maple syrup
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1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
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Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Ask the hotline about this step!Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Remove granola from oven and season with more salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Ask the hotline about this step!Did my comment about this granola being crazy sweet get deleted? Someone who ate icing sugar from a bowl as a child told me so. I just made a second batch with no sugar or maple syrup and am going to combine the two.
How about using macadamia nut oil instead of olive? Has anyone tried it?
I made this to bring on a surftrip.
I added 100 grams slivered almonds and 50 grams puffed rice instead of the sunflower seeds. Also used walnuts instead of the pecans.
And since I was out of maple syrup, I used agave nectar instead.
Worked like a charm. Hands down, best granola I've had in my life!
Lots of power for surfing, too!
just made this and was a bit worried it was taking so long to brown. is delicious. only thing i changed was using walnuts (pecan allergy in the house), also could not find coconut chunks so used unsweetened flakes, not too sweet at all!
I made this and it is wonderful. I used walnuts and almonds instead of the pecans and cooked it a bit longer than suggested, but it turned out great.
I just made this tonight, and my goodness is it good! I played with the nuts and used some pine nuts instead of the pumpkin seeds and I used sweetened coconut shreds instead of the unsweetened coconut. I think this is the best granola recipe, and I've tried a few since November. Kudos! A great genius recipe!
I made another batch of this over the weekend, this time using only 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar. It was even better! ;o)
Just made this one... forgot to buy the coconut flakes, but it tastes great nonetheless. Also, my house smells amazing with the maple and olive oil baking in the oven :) Thanks for posting!
We're having a granola taste-off in my kitchen: My recipe (which my husband insists cannot be improved upon), made with butter, brown sugar and a touch of vanilla vs. Nekisia's recipe. I made a mixture of grains and nuts, some mentioned in Nekisia's recipe, others that I had hanging around, and divided the mixture in half. Results to be announced after breakfast tomorrow!
The results are in: My husband still prefers my recipe, with its buttery warmth. I like both, with plain yogurt or just as a snack. But I do find myself nibbling more frequently on Nekisia's addictive combination of sweet and salty with that understated background note of olive oil. And unlike some who have commented here, I do not find it too sweet. I don't care for overly sweet foods and while I used the amounts of syrup and sugar called for in the recipe (reduced proportionately for the half-batches), it has just the right amount of sweetness balanced against the salt. I will definitely make it again!.
This granola is great, and it makes a pretty righteous granola bar, if you substitute it for the toasted oats and seeds in Merrill's granola bar recipe: http://www.food52.com/recipes/12067_saras_granola_bars
I love this granola! In fact, I've taken to making a new batch whenever our jar runs low. I do a version with almonds, dates and sesame that we love. You can view it here:
http://charlotteauchocolat.com/2011/12/20/olive-oil-granola-with-almonds-and-dates
I made a batch of this last night. It's outstanding! Next time -- and there will be a next time -- I'll cut back on the maple syrup and brown sugar, as I found it a bit sweeter than I like. It seems like an excellent formula, though. I'll probably play with adding some ground flax seed, and perhaps my old favorite, toasted wheat germ, and I'll try different kinds of nuts, for variety. Stay tuned. ;o)
Yum! Made it and love it.
Just made this. WOW!!! like eating salted caramels. Divine with tangy vanilla yogurt. This one's a keeper for sure. My hard-to-please daughter loves it.
I made this granola with blood-orange flavored EVOO. Simply AMAZING! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
This is great--I have really been trying to cut out the amount of sugar in my diet and most granolas are just way too low-fat to be both delicious and low-sugar. I might even try increasing the oil content and decreasing the sweet!
A question about the olive oil: why add it? I frequently make granola using maple syrup and it is delicious. I use no oil of any kind. Why add it? What purpose does it serve?
Nice website! I am enjoying reading it.
Yes, definitely flavor and I suspect it contributes to the addictive crunchy crust. I'd suggest trying this as written to compare with your go-to -- then let us know what you think!
Just wondering, I was gifted a 5lb bag of maple syrup sugar. Do you think there's a way to subsitute it ofr the maple syrup? Or reconstitute it ?
From a bit of googling, it seems you can reconstitute it into syrup! Simmer together 1 cup each of maple sugar and water to make a medium thick syrup. The Hotline is also a great place to ask about stuff like this: http://www.food52.com/hotline
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How wholesome do you feel right now?
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The secret to this recipe and its addictive, shaggy crust is a trifecta or maple syrup (any grade)...
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... olive oil (much better than dowdy old vegetable oil) ...
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... and salt.
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Making granola = stirring.
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Stirring phase 1 complete -- onto your baking sheet! (Tip: it's pretty good even at this stage. Give it a taste.)
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Your granola will probably be stacked up on itself in a thick layer, but it will bake evenly anyway (that is, if you remember to stir). To the oven!
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Once your granola is baking, you can wash these dishes!
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After about 30 minutes, with a few stirs in between, here's what it looks like -- it's starting to get dry, but it could be a little toastier.
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Ideal toastiness achieved. Add a bit more salt here -- it'll stick to the warm glaze.
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Ready for one last stir.
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Granola!
I made this morning with my 9 year old. Granola making is the perfect project for him. He was very happy measuring and then digging his hands in to stir it up perfectly. What was even better was the results. My goodness this is good. We used everything as listed in the recipe and added some walnuts for good measure. The only coarse salt in the house was a Sicilian sea salt. That went in too. While I didn't find the sweetness cloying when I make it again (and I will be making it again) I will add less sweetener. As a plus, some of the edges that didn't get stirred as well became the best granola bars I have ever had and my husband declared it the best granola he had ever tasted. Thanks for a terrific recipe.