Springtime breakfast after the cold of winter calls for granola instead of hot oatmeal. We’ve been making it for decades, and over those years, I’ve decided I like the oats more toasted than earlier methods where we used no oil.
Heat oven to 325oF. I think a hotter oven imparts a burned taste. Then spread oats onto several pans so they are less than an inch deep. Drizzle oil over the oats and distribute evenly, by stirring thoroughly. Walnut and avocado oil were used today.
Bake oats until they smell good, then add shredded coconut and turn off oven. When the oven has cooled, the coconut will be toasted and the pans easy to handle. The oats need to be warm to absorb the honey, so do the next step within 20 minutes.
Turn out into a large bowl, mix in the flaxseed. Pour the honey in the center and stir keeping the honey away from the sides of the bowl. Add any other flavoring. Mix thoroughly and let cool. Add nuts and dried fruit when serving, for variety and to keep longer.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. organic thick-cut oats (Nat. Groc)
- 2 T oil (Spectrum Walnut Oil was used here but it gives the toasted oats an aftertaste that is not as nutty as I’d like. S calls it rancid)
- 7 oz. coconut
- 4 oz. honey
- 4 T ground flaxseed
- dried vanilla bean, grating of nutmeg
Improving Granola
I started toasting the oats a few years ago with olive oil. I like the flavor, which is more savory that commercial granola that is baked with coconut oil. And I like it toasted with oil more than just dried out in the oven, as we used to do when making granola. So I want to continue toasting with oil.
We use olive oil frequently so it is always fresh, but I wanted to add a different oil to our diet. Walnut oil seemed like a good choice, since it’s high in Omega-3 and low in bad fats. But cold pressed walnut oil has a very low smoke point – 320oF – and shouldn’t be put in the oven. No wonder I haven’t liked the taste. So I am looking for another oil. Macadamia nut oil has a smoke point of 400oF, but would it still have the nutty profile I’m looking for. For the next batch I used this oil, and it tastes great – nutty but not strong as is the case with many olive oils. It’s a great solution. This oil however doesn’t keep fresh long, so buy it in small quantities. And use it for cakes, too.