I first fell in love with granola as a breakfast cereal several years ago. I decided to surprise my husband one weekend and whisked him away to Santa Barbara, where we stayed at a little B&B (which I highly recommend). *sigh* Just typing about this little gem of a place makes me want to go there again. Anyway, back on topic. The simple beauty of the dining room there was enough to make any meal served within a delight. While I remember loving all the dishes they served for breakfast, I couldn't tell you which one I ordered. What I do remember is the granola. Kinda odd? Maybe. Oh, but it was soo good. It was served in a dainty clear glass bowl with whole milk. I don't normally drink whole milk but it complimented the granola so well. The creaminess of the milk with the crunch of the granola, ahhhh. Now that's a way to start your day.
Since then I've been in search of the perfect granola, but always store bought. Many out there are good and some are even great, but none I've tried have been fabulous...like the one at the B&B. Some are too sweet, some too dry and some are just plain too expensive. So I got this genius idea, duh, make my own! I'm the kind of girl who likes her granola plain and simple - oats and nuts. I'll pass on the dried cranberries or blueberries, raisins, and toasted coconut thank-you-very-much. But lucky for you adventurous ones out there, you can add just about anything to this recipe. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. My family and I like it, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's fabulous. It doesn't "clump" up like traditional cereal granola. This may be better used for yogurt topping or something similar. Still looking for the one.
Maple-Nut Granola
by Martha Stewart
makes 4 cups (I doubled the recipe)
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together oats, pecans, almonds, salt, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
Spread oat mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool completely. (To store, cover and keep at room temperature, up to 2 weeks.)
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