Maple & Olive Oil Granola
My favorite granola recipe, Jule’s Granola was given to me by a co-worker and friend years ago. She brought a bag to work one day, and being a granola hater, I passed on trying it. She offered again and added, “This ain’t your Quaker Oats guy in the funny hat-boxed granola”. To appease her, I grabbed a handful, tossed it in my mouth, and BAM! So good, crunchy, flavorful, filled with nuts and dried fruit, and sweetened with maple syrup. Nutty, buttery, sweet, chewy, crunchy, in a nutshell, damn delicious. Instantly I became a GRANOLA CONVERT.
I just wanted to include this photo of my Granola Queen. A blast from the past, her beautiful wedding in Hawaii.
Go-To Granola
I immediately asked her for the recipe and since then I have cranked out batches of granola to give to friends and family. Every Christmas we buy cute canning jars and fill each with granola which we then gift to co-workers and friends. Each person dutifully returns their jar for more granola next year.
Who Knew?
Very happy with Jule’s Granola recipe I never thought of trying another recipe until now. The powers of social media strike again. A notification popped up on my phone titled “Genius Granola has a Cult Following”. This caught my eye. I quickly scanned the recipe. It called for olive oil, a variety of seeds, pecans, coconut chips, maple syrup and brown sugar. I compared it to my gold standard granola, no dried fruit, definitely more seeds, less oats, more maple syrup and sugar. It was the olive oil that caught my eye.
Recipe Breakdown
Oatmeal- Use Old Fashioned not quick or instant. I added an extra cup of oatmeal (comments on the original as being too sweet), plus the amount of sweeteners compared to my fav recipe was significantly more.
Olive Oil– I happened to have a bottle of vanilla olive oil, so I used it. Mild, floral, citrusy olive oils
Adds- Add whatever mix-ins you like. I didn’t have sunflower seeds so I used almonds and sesame seeds so what the heck that’s what I added. Coconut chips from TJ, use whichever coconut flakes you like, or even shredded coconut. I LOVE pecans so of course that stayed in.
Dried Fruit- I love sweet & tart dried fruits in my granola. I added a blend of raisins, cranberries, and blueberries. Leave it out, add some in…your choice. Pistachios and either apricots or dried cranberries would be smashing.
Sweeteners- The recipe calls for a combination of maple syrup and light brown sugar. There were quite a few comments about the granola being too sweet. So the debate was do I decrease the sweeteners (which many did by omitting the brown sugar) or add more oatmeal.
Spices- Change the flavor profile by adding cinnamon or even cardamon. (start with 1 tsp of cinnamon) or a Chai tea spice.
Baking- the original recipe is on Food52 by Nekisia Davis of Early Bird. Directions say to spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet. My advice, divide the mixture in half and use 2 cookie sheets. The layer of granola in one pan is too thick and will not dry and crisp very well. You should still mix it every 10-15 minutes.
This is a loose granola, not clumpy, perfect as an ice cream or yogurt topping. Use it in Natasha Picowicz’s Nubby Granola Shortbread. If you like chunks of granola, make Jule’s Granola which is still our family favorite (yes, we voted). This is a close second though.
There ya go, now go and make a batch of my 2nd favorite granola,
Olive Oil & Maple Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats Original recipe calls for 3 cups
- 1 1/4 cups raw pecans coarsely chopped, although I was lazy and left them as halves
- 1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds sub chopped almonds and sesame seeds
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1-2 cups dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, diced apricots optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large bowl, mix the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, syrup, oil, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt until well combined. Add optional spices if using.
- Spread the mixture in an even layer split between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, for about 45 minutes total, until the granola is toasted. Halfway through baking, rotate sheets from top to bottom and turn each back to front.
- Remove the granola from the oven; season with salt to taste. Let cool completely before serving.
- Add dried fruit, if using, after granola cools. Store in an airtight container.