munchies Archives

Maple & Olive Oil Granola

By threejamigos | July 24, 2024 | Comments 4 comments

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,

5 from 2 votes

Olive Oil & Maple Granola

Homemade Granola with maple syrup and olive oil

Course Breakfast, Munchie, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword granola, maple syrup, oats, olive oil, pecans

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

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 coconut chips or flakes (large)
1/2 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds sub slivered almonds

Sweeteners

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

Optional

1-2 cups dried fruit such as raisins, cranberries, diced apricots, or dried cherries

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, after granola cools. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Do Ahead: The granola can be made 1 month ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and store at room temperature.

Crazy 8 Day: It’s Crack Not A Cookie but It Deserves to be on the List

By threejamigos | December 26, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

This year I joined in on Food52’s Holiday Gift Swap. It was simple, all I had to do was make a donation to their designated charity and promise to send a food-centric gift by Dec. 10th. A couple of days later, I received my “Secret Santa” swapee’s name and address. My swappee lives in Colorado, I already had a list of go to items I wanted to send her like Jule’s granola and my cousin’s spiced pecans.

My box of goodies came from Catherine of Salt Lake City. Like a kid in a candy store, I quickly tore the box open and discovered a treasure trove of gifts, sweet and salty chocolate sprinkles, popcorn seasoning, salad toppings, a too cute kitchen towel and a delicious cereal mix- Ashure Cereal that I started munching on immediately. Luckily, Cathy included the recipe by Saimin Nosrat in the NY Times. It starts with a base of puffed wheat, nuts, and sesame seeds. Then spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and mahaleb, (a middle eastern spice from cherry seeds, think bitter almond) and finally toasted in the oven with brown sugar, honey and oil. It is addictively delicious.

After scarffing down the bag, I knew I had to make my own batch.

This is where the search begins…

I head to my favorite market, International Food Bazaar. I unwittingly thought that the spices would be the hardest to find. Surprisingly not true. Most of the ingredients and spices can also be found online.

With Mahaleb in hand, I head to my neighborhood grocery for the puffed wheat cereal…

4 STORES later, I walk out empty-handed and dejected. Not a bag or box of puffed wheat to be found. Apparently it is really hard to find puffed cereals without sugar added. Who would have “thunk” it?

I took to the internet, and found Vitacost, a supplement/health food site where I not only find Puffed Wheat, but Puffed Kamut (an ancient grain), Puffed Corn and Puffed Rice. You can find Puffed Rice by Quaker Oats in the supermarket, a great alternative for a gluten free version. I like Puffed Kamut. I would definitely cut a bit of the cereal and add more nuts and Mahaleb. Watch carefully when baking as it browns fairly quickly. I love it over yogurt and fresh fruit or straight out of hand.

So be forewarned, the most difficult ingredient to find will be the cereal. But it will be well worth it, Ashure Cereal is absolutely delicious.

Here, for you to drool over, my Food 52 holiday swap gift from Cathy!

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Ashure Cereal

Course Snack

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword cereal

Cook Time 15

Servings 10 servings

Author Adapted from NYT

Ingredients

1/2 cup /85 grams neutral-tasting oil such as canola
6 tablespoons /110 grams honey
1⁄2 cup /110 grams dark brown sugar packed
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground mahaleb increase to 3/4 -1
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
10 cups /160 grams puffed wheat sub Puffed Kamut or Rice
3/4 Scant cup /85 grams halved pecans increase to 1 cup
1⁄3 cup /50 grams pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons /30 grams sesame seeds
1⁄2 cup /85 grams almonds very roughly chopped, or left whole with skin

Instructions

Step 1

Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. Heat to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

Step 2

Combine oil, honey and sugar in a medium saucepan, and set over medium-high heat. Whisk well, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Step 3

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix well. Once the honey mixture comes to a boil, carefully pour it over the dry ingredients. Working quickly, use a large silicone spatula to stir, turning the contents of the bowl over until everything is coated evenly with the syrup. Transfer mixture to baking sheets, and use spatula to flatten out cereal into an even layer.

Step 4

Place baking sheets on prepared oven racks, and bake for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove 1 tray at a time, and use spatula to stir cereal around. Rotate trays 180 degrees, and switch oven positions to ensure even baking. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove from oven, and allow to cool entirely on the trays before breaking cereal into large clusters.

Step 5

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Happy holidays and happy baking!

Nut-in but the Best (Candied Cocktail Nuts)

By threejamigos | December 2, 2018 | Comments 0 Comment

This would not be the first post I have written on nuts. I’m nutty bout’ nuts. What shrimp was to Bubba in Forrest Gump is what nuts are to me. Roast them, toast them, caramelize them, boil em’-put em’ in salads, cookies, cakes, granola, gosh, just about anything.

There are “nibble nuts” (that sounds weird), which I love, found at bars, ballgames, and cocktail parties. Every Christmas I look forward to my cousin Bonnie’s jar of addictively delicious Candied Spiced Pecans. Another one of my favorites is Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts, a wonderful combination of spices and rosemary. Nibble Nuts make great gifts. I will package them in cellophane bags tied with a cute little ribbon or fill canning jars and slap a festive tag on, perfect. Nothing like a gift of nuts to say I’m nuts about you, lol.

Right after the midterm election, I went up to The City for another cookbook signing. Once again, Dorie Greenspan was going to be at Omnivore Books, this time talking about her latest book, Everyday with Dorie (in the 3jamigos shop). Did I mention she is one of my favorites? The last time I saw her was right after the 2016 elections (if there was ever a time I needed a distraction-oy), she was making the rounds for her Cookie book. Her cookbooks are reliable, accessible, and written in an easy, warm style.

So, of course, I hopped in my car, drove up to the City with Sammy in tow, and patiently waited for her to show up. I was early, which if you know me, you are slapping your forehead right now in disbelief. Hey, it was Dorie, what can I say?

Dorie’s husband Micheal was there and I love talking to him as much as Dorie. We talked about their son “The kid” and his beautiful, fairytale wedding in Paris this past year. I mean, when Pierre Herme creates your wedding cake, it’s going to be epic (link to wedding cake on Instagram). Must be nice, sigh.

Ah, but I digress, I flipped through Dorie’s new book, which includes a smattering of everything, not just desserts. “Stuff” she likes to make and eat, and whaddya know, in the very first section, there is a recipe for Candied Cocktail Nuts. A girl can never have too many recipes for nuts. Nope, never, and this one looked super-user friendly.

The recipe starts with 1/2 pound of mixed whole nuts, I doubled it right off the bat. President Obama has the willpower to eat only 7 almonds a day? That’s fake news, come on. I buy unsalted roasted nuts at Costco. It’s a good deal and perfect for this and the Spiced Nut recipe.

Her original recipe calls for thyme, but I could easily see using rosemary or another herb. Next time I might add a bit of smoked paprika. Yums.

So keep Dorie’s Candied Cocktail Nuts in mind for those stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or when you are sitting at your desk or kitchen counter working, these nuts are the perfect companion.

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Candied Cocktail Nuts

I call them nibble nuts, perfect with drinks, cheese boards...just about with anything.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Cocktail Nuts

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3

Baking Time 15

Total Time 13

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 pound Mixed Nuts-pecans, cashews, almonds 1.5 cups approximately, unsalted
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sub 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions

Adapted from Everyday with Dorie
Place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
Spread nuts on a sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Scatter thyme over nuts and roast for 5 minutes.
While nuts are roasting, place remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat stirring, until butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Add warm nuts to pan and continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until well coated by the sauce.
Return nuts to baking pan, making sure to spread the nuts out. No clumps, please.
Bake for 10 minutes, stirring the nuts midway through. If they seem a little too light, continue to bake for another couple of minutes.
Take pan out and let the nuts cool completely. Sprinkle with additional Fleur de Sel.

Notes

Nuts will keep about a week in an airtight container. If they seem a little sticky, pop them back in a 350-degree oven for a couple of minutes.

Candied Spiced Pecans: The Perfect Nibble

By threejamigos | November 28, 2015 | Comments 2 comments

I love nuts, any kind of nuts. But if posed the proverbial question “what if you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have one kind of nut, what would it be”. My answer, hands down would be pecans, a no-brainer. Pecans have a buttery, sweet nutty flavor. When making chocolate chip cookies, brownies even salads, I reach for pecans to toss in. I am also a sucker for candied pecans and lucky for me my cousin Bonnie has perfected her Candied Spiced Pecans. Every year during the holidays she makes a boatload and packs them in cute little jars she has collected over the year (this year Straus Family Cream bottles, very nifty and thrifty). I secretly hope she brings too many and hands me the extra ones, they’re that good. I asked if I could share her recipe and she graciously said yes, she rocks.

A couple of tips, use two pans and spread them out. Lightly beat the egg whites until frothy. Be daring and vary the spices. Making them is really easy, right up there with granola. Throw them in mason jars, add a cute ribbon, and voila’ the perfect hostess gift. Nuts are expensive, luckily you can find reasonably priced pecans at Costco in 2-pound bags. I suppose you could use other nuts like walnuts or almonds…but why would you?

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Spicy Pecans: The Perfect Nibble

Ingredients

Spice mix:

1/2 -1 t cayenne pepper
- 1t if you want to taste the burn
1/2 t chili powder
1-1/2 t cinnamon ground
1/2 t clove ground
1 t ginger ground
1/2 t nutmeg ground ( I use mace, which I love)
1 t salt
3/4 c sugar
- opt. 1/4c dark brown + 1/2c white

The Nuts:

2 egg whites=1/4c slightly beaten
1 t water
8 c pecans
costco 8c = 2lb bag

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line one cookie sheet with parchment.
Measure out dry spice mix ingredients into a ziploc box.
In the large bowl combine egg whites and water, use wood spatula to lightly beat mixture. Cut open bag of pecans and dump into egg+water bowl.
Mix nuts with wood spatulas until all pecans are glistening.
Dump in spice mix. Combine until all the pecans are coated.
Pour nuts onto the parchment lined cookie sheets. Spread nuts out as flat as possible.
Bake for 25 - 35 minutes, or until dry (the coating has bubbled up and turned whitish).
Stir occasionally while baking.
Meanwhile, spread a large sheet of parchment paper (large enough to cool all the pecans in a single layer) on the counter.
Using a spatula, push hot nuts off cookie sheet parchment and on to counter top parchment. Separate nuts while still warm (once cooled, the nuts will crack instead of separate).
Allow to cool completely before storing in air tight containers.

Please let me know if you try these!