The Best Granola

It always raises a certain level of high expectations when a recipe calls itself “The Best”. While this granola recipe may seem as any other granola you may find on the web or a cookbook, it is, at least in my opinion, the Best granola I’ve tested so far.

After more than a year, eleven failed granola recipes, and half an hour harassing a local baker about her secret to the perfect granola, I have finally found the one that I can call my favorite. My vision of the perfect Granola was that it had to be crunchy, all natural (no hidden corn syrup), not boring, not too crumbly and not too sweet.

This one is all what I was looking for. It is crunchy, with the right amount of sweetness and pleasantly spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla. There was really nothing to change to the original recipe, but being the inquiring person that I am, I still wanted to experience different possibilities, additions and subtractions to make it my own:

- The recipe calls for a mixture of quick oats and oats flour. I tried it with oats flour, ray flour; buckwheat flour and white whole-wheat flour and I always had better results and texture with the last one. I also subtracted half the amount of flour from the original recipe.

- The addition of nuts is purely personal. I like to put in mine 2 cups of nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts in this one) with ½ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, for the aroma and taste, and ½ cup of flaxseeds for their subtle nutty flavor and abundance of omega-3 fatty acids.

- Finally I didn’t use mace simply because I couldn’t find it, plus I’ve never had it before.

So here it is! My Favorite Granola in the whole wide world. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do, every morning.


Happy Birthday, Papa!

My Favorite Granola

Recipe: Adapted from here
- ½ lb quick oats
- ¼ lb white whole wheat flour
- 2 oz unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 oz flaxseeds
- 7 oz of coarsely chopped nuts (I use walnuts with almonds or with hazelnuts but you can use whatever you like)
- 1 cup, packed dark brown sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup water
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom

Preheat your oven at 300F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, flax seeds, coconut and nuts. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, butter and water and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture together until smooth, and then stir in the salt, vanilla and spices. Pour the mixture over the oats mixture and stir well to coat (Doing this with your hands is much better). Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet, separating it into irregular clumps with your fingers, and allowing space between the clumps for the hot air to circulate. Slide it into the middle of the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to break up the mixture into medium sized clumps. Return to the oven and bake again for another 15 minutes before stirring again. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the granola is a uniform golden brown and completely dry; this usually takes me about 30-45 minutes from the beginning of baking to finish. Cool completely on a wire rack (out of reach from your companion) before using.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Serve as desired.

Mes Granolas Préférés

In Francais please: Adaptée d’ici
- 250g de flocons d’avoine
- 100g de farine blanche complete
- 50g de graines de lin
- 50g de noix de coco non-sucrée
- 200g de fruits secs de votre choix, grossierement hachés (noix, amandes, noisettes, noix de pecan)
- 115g de beurre
- 200g de sucre brun
- 60ml eau
- ½ c.c de sel marin
- 1 c.c d’extrait de vanille
- ½ c.c de canelle
- ½ c.c de cardamome en poudre

Préchauffer le four a 150C. Dans une jatte profonds, mettre les flacons d’avoine, la farine, les fruits secs, la noix de coco et les graines de lin. Metrre de côté. D’autre part, dans une petite casserole, mettre le sucre, le beurre et l’eau. Mettre sur feu doux et laisser cuire jusqu’à ce que le beurre fonde et que le mélange commence à bouillonner. Mélanger a l’aide d’une cuillere en bois et ajouter sel, vanille et épices et mélanger encore. Verser le mélange de beurre sur les ingredients secs et mélanger (utiliser vos mains pour cette étape, c’est plus efficace). Laisser de côté pendant 10 minutes.

Etaler le mélange de granola en petits domes sur une large plaque allant au four, en faisant en sorte de séparer les domes pour que l’air chaud circule entre eux. Mettre au milieu du four et faites cuire jusqu’à ce que la surface soit dorée, environ 15 minutes. Retirer du four et mélanger délicatement à l’aide d’une cuillere en bois pour detruire les petits domes. Remettre et four pour encore 15 minutes. Ressortir du four et mélanger encore et ceci jusqu’à ce que le granola soit déshydraté et d’une belle couleur dorée. Cela m’a prit environ 30-45 minutes du début de cuisson jusqu’à la fin.

Laisser refroidir sur une grille a pâtisserie avant de servir. Le Granola se conservera dans un bocal à fermeture hermétique a temperature ambiante. Servir au petit déjeuner avec du lait, yaourt et fruits ou selon vos goûts et désir.