Olive Oil Granola
Happy New Year, friends! Have I ever been away so long? I don't think so. I will not impose on you the litany of all I did or thought about the last three weeks, but it's been rich, full, sometimes quiet, and sometimes crazy. Favorite moments include:
Being at the beach in Bellingham with Pippa and the Johnson family on New Year's Eve day, hard-pressed to take a decent photo because of the blinding sun:
Taking a Christmas Day walk with my Dad and all the Murphy grandkids, seeing Loretta and HannahMae in their riotous color:
Lots of wonderful conversations with Yancey in the car while we drove that stretch of I-5 yet again.
And OLIVE OIL GRANOLA.
Please do not abandon or malign me because 50% of my posts are about granola. Recipes for this version have been ubiquitous in the blogosphere the last year, but I tended to ignore them. I imagined the olive oil leaving a bitter aftertaste or otherwise wrecking the little bit of sweetness I crave in the morning. Nothing could be further from the truth. Though you have learned to take my pronouncements with a grain of salt, I hope, I'm ready to pronounce that vegetable oil in my granola is a thing of the past.
I blame this new obsession on Melissa Clark's new cookbook. She describes her first sampling of it:
I never would have bothered trying any if it weren't for the hordes yelping with delight as they swallowed their umpteenth portion. I stuck my hand into the fray and grabbed a cup. It was filled with copper-colored oats, pecan slivers, and flat chips of coconut. Like most granola, the first bite was sweet and crunchy. But then the salt hit me, followed by something savory and almost bitter. The sweet-salty-bitter combo was addictive, like a Campari soda and a bowl of salted almonds. I just couldn't stop.
Come on, now. You expect me to resist a description like THAT?
I missed you and wish I could deliver a little bag of this to each one of your doorsteps. Here's to sticking together in 2011.
Melissa Clark's Olive Oil Granola
The version in my photo doesn't have apricots or coconut chips and has the addition of sesame seeds. The important thing is to make sure your ratio of oil/sugar/syrup to oats and nuts/seeds is the same as the recipe, no matter which nuts and seeds you use. And I like cooking it at a lower temp for longer as she does here. Sometimes my impatience with other methods has gotten me into trouble.
3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 c. raw pistachios
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 c. coconut chips
3/4 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom or ground ginger
3/4 c. chopped dried apricots
Preheat oven to 300.
In a large bowl, combine everything. Spread the mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and well-toasted.
Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots, tossing to combine.
January 6, 2011
Reader Comments (21)
Happy new year to you and nice to have you back! I used to make my granola with butter and honey and never thought I would do it any other way. I tried this very recipe because I too was intrigued by her description. It is now the Dana Treat household granola. I do love the coconut chips in there, so try them next time!
The title made me gasp! So excited to try it. Miss you guys.
Yes, Sarah. You were gone quite a long time! Please don't do that again anytime soon. Happy New Year and welcome "home."
Happy New Year Sarah! I was so glad to see this post. You were my inspiration for all the granola that I made and gave away as gifts for Christmas. All the time I was baking and packaging, I kept thinking, "I wonder if there are any good recipes for granola using olive oil? Would that taste good?" And...presto...here's my answer! Thank you! I can't wait to try this.
Happy New Year! I love that this granola has cardamom in it. Fantastic!
i had this very granola this morning! thanks for giving me something so sweet to wake up to...and so many conversations to hold onto and mull over. i cherish our traditions together.
[...] Visit link: In Praise of Leftovers | Olive Oil Granola [...]
Hooray, you're back! Glad to hear you had a nice time away, though. I'm excited to try this granola especially since I have a road trip coming up. Thanks as always!
P.S. Finally stopped in at White Horse for Pimm's cup over the holidays per your recommendation some time ago. Amazing. I spend a great deal of time at the market and had no idea it was right under my nose. Not even my fishmonger husband who has worked there for 10 years knew about Pimm's. Best kept secret. Thank you!
You can post about granola all you want, and I will continue coming back to your posts as I always do. Besides, there are so many different combinations of ingredients in granola, one could go on forever and be satisfied over and over again. I've made an olive oil granola once before, but not this recipe ... yet.
Cheers and happy New Year,
*Heather*
OMG!!!!!! this is all about flavor :-) I love this recipe!! I went to make my/your tried and true Everyday Granola recipe(my fav 'cause it takes what I have in my pantry). I thought...well, I will see if Sarah has posted anything...and there it was- Olive Oil Granola!! My favorite spice...Cardamom....is in it so I was sold right out of the gate. Then, like you, I tasted this and my mouth was bursting with flavors-salt, sweet, cardamom, some cinnamon...textures, crunchy and soft....WOW!!
Is it my new favorite...I don't know yet....but I do know I am enjoying the first batch...a second...third....hmmmmmm ????
Thanks Sarah!!
I've been making granola left and right... what are coconut chips?
Gotta love the myriad of colors the girls have on:)
Nice to "see" you again, and what a way to start off the year! Granola & yogurt is a favorite comfort food of mine. Love the idea of using olive oil.
That riot of color, kilts and boots is the bomb. Love it, love it, love it!
I, too, have converted to Melissa's olive oil granola (w/ lots of changes, incl. sesame, as here, plus wheat germ), after deep, deep doubt. No looking back here, either. Also, I consider your granola obsession a sign of true character.
A very happy new year to you, Miss Sarah.
xo,
Molly
Love that pic of my daughter + niece! xo
Wow, my favorite granola ever! Made this today and knocked my socks off!
[...] olive oil granola would make a fun & hearty snack (@ In Praise of [...]
Finally tried this yesterday and shared it with a couple of folks today. Got some really nice text messages. For instance "U r awesome the best granola maker ever" and "I just left a meeting so I could go eat more" Clearly olive oil granola is sweeping the nation or at least this end of Capitol Hill. I think it tastes like salted caramel corn with nuts. Homemade Cracker Jack is what came to mind. I'm going to try to make a less sweet version with the olive oil. The savory nature is awesome. And cooking for a longer time period at a lower temp - much better. Thanks for the tip.
I'm in love with Melissa Clark for publishing this recipe in the Times. My sister (who lives in Park Slope) gave us a bag of the $10 granola from Bklyn Larder and I was desperate to figure out how we could recreate it at home.
[...] Planned vacations looming ahead to bolster my spirits during the ever present rain and gloom. This homemade granola recipe. The tax return to be deposited on Friday. The little pink magnetic [...]