Monday, September 30, 2013

Perfect-for-fall-granola!


I have been wanting to try a granola recipe for a while and a friend encouraged me just to pick a few and start trying them.  So, I found one that sounded good.  It had apples in it and I had just bought a bag of Galas at the store and then took an unplanned trip to ApplAcres with a friend, so I have apples galore right now!

Of course, I have the apples, but didn't think about looking up recipes before going to the store last week, so I ended up improvising a bit (I've been getting a little better at it lately!).  Here's the original recipe:

















But, I didn't have quinoa, almonds, apple sauce or raisins on hand.  But I did have plenty of oats, pecans, a tiny package of chopped peanuts and some snack boxes of Craisins.  Here's what my final recipe ended up like:














UPDATE: Here are the prep/cooking directions
Preheat oven to 325F degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the oats, quinoa, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together until combined.  Fold in the dived apple. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla, applesauce, maple syrup, and brown sugar.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is moistened.  Spread onto two baking sheets and bake for 45 minutes, making sure to stir the granola every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.  Allow granola to cool for 20 minutes on the baking sheets. This will help it get crunchier. Pour into a large bowl and add the raisins.
Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Granola will lose its crunch overtime because of the apples.
*Make sure your oats are certified gluten free if you have an intolerance. 
*You may use honey, agave, or light corn syrup as the liquid sweetener.  Keep in mind that using honey means your granola is no longer vegan.

Because I didn't have applesauce (yet! going to try a crock-pot recipe soon!) I increased my vegetable oil and honey to replace it. Even with my adjustments, it turned out AWESOME!  And my house smells wonderful on this rainy fall day.  Just perfect!

Here are some pics from our apple-picking fun!
buddies proud of their apples!

now where are those apples...



I can carry them!

me too!

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