My favorite granola recipe, Jule’s Granola was given to me by a friend also coworker, 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. It’s 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 for family and friends.  Every Christmas we buy cute canning jars to fill with granola which we then gift.  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 on my phone titled “Genius Granola has a Cult Following” popped up.  This caught my eye.  I quickly scanned the recipe.  It called for olive oil, various seeds, pecans, coconut chips, maple syrup, and brown sugar.  I compared it to my gold-standard granola.  Hmm,  no dried fruit, definitely more seeds, less oats, more maple syrup and sugar.  The olive oil in place of veggie oil 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 are preferred but you could use large coconut flakes.

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 cherries 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 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 is to divide the mixture in half and use two 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 granola is loose, not clumpy, and is perfect for 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.

Now go and make a batch of my 2nd  favorite granola,