Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Spiced Apple Granola

I don't mean to sound like one of those smug types who do everything but knit their own organic toilet paper,  but I am morally opposed to buying muesli or granola. Not only are they eyewateringly expensive, they're always packed with sugar and somehow you end up with a nasty sort of dust in the bottom of the packet that looks suspiciously like sweepings from the factory floor.
Here's my latest version, invented to use up some leftover apple juice. I've become addicted to sprinkling allspice on my porridge and so it has found its way into this as well.


Spiced Apple Granola
You'll have to excuse my slightly vague measurements here - I make this by eye, judging on how much will fit in a roasting dish (which is conveniently about the same amount as will fit in the former gherkin jar that I store it in). Feel free to vary the nuts, seeds and fruit to suit your pantry and personal taste, but make sure you have a good proportion of these additions to oats or this granola will seem more like a punishment than a delicious breakfast. And don't add poppy seeds - you'll spend the whole day wondering if you've got one stuck in your teeth.

6 cups whole oats
3/4 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup linseeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped (peanuts are a good standby for those weeks when money is too tight to mention)
1Tbsp ground allspice
1Tbsp ground cinnamon
4Tbsp honey (or golden syrup, or date syrup, or brown sugar)
3/4 - 1 cup apple juice
4Tbsp sunflower oil
Dried fruit - chopped dates, sultanas, raisins, chopped apricots - about 2 cups

Preheat the oven to 170C. Tip all the dry ingredients (except the fruit) into a large bowl and mix well. Mix the honey, apple juice and oil together and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix well with your hands. Add a little more apple juice (or a splash of water) if it seems very dry. You want it to be glossy, not wet. Tip into a large roasting dish (use two dishes if necessary). Put in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until golden. Don't wander away - you need to stir it every 10 minutes or so. I frequently forget about mine and burn it, which is horribly frustrating. When it's an even golden brown, remove from the oven and tip back into the original bowl. Stir through the fruit. Pour into an airtight container - like an empty gherkin jar - when cold.

Have a sweet weekend, everyone! Pin It

14 comments:

  1. Oooh I haven't made granola for so long and I really really must now I've seen this. Thing is, I keep eating it out of the jar...

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  2. That sounds great. We get nice muesli here without sugar and not too expensive, but granola is usually too sweet and much more expensive. Might make some at the weekend.

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  3. This sounds absolutely wonderful! I have yet to make my own granola but I'm craving some of this right now. Too bad you don't live next door! :o)

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  4. I think this could rival Pa G's muesli (which I haven't made since moving here :(
    Yum - thank you... I'm going to attempt this recipe xx

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  5. you are so right about the store bought muesli!

    I have to try this soon. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

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  6. I've always been a bit too lazy to make my own granola but I'm now inspired to do so!

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  7. That looks delicious, especially served with yogurt. Good tip about the poppy seeds too ;-)

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  8. I agree! It is bafflingly expensive to buy the good stuff. Or even the bad stuff. This sounds lovely, I appreciate the decent seed + nut ratio :)

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  9. Thanks for the breakfast inspiration, I made this today. Love homemade muesli and the apple juice and allspice are delicious.

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  10. What a great recipe! I am not the biggest muesli fan, but Silent Bob lives on the stuff mixed up with vanilla yogurt ... he loved this batch! Allspice addition was a nice touch!

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  11. Your granola looks really tasty in that bowl. I don't know why I've still not made any of my own, I keep meaning too. I hasten to add, I don't buy it either.

    Did your lost posts come back or have you redone them? My post and comments still missing. I'd like the reassurance of knowing it's worked for someone ;-)

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  12. I think you've hit the nail on the head here - so many ready made foods turn one off the item, that you need to taste a home made version to fall back in love!

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  13. Excellent! I'm always looking for new granola recipes and can;t wait to give this one a try. I've just made a massive batch (yet to blog it!) so it may be a while before I get to it though.

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  14. Love the look of this recipe. The apple juice idea sounds like the perfect addition to stop my trials being too dry, thanks I'm inspired to try yours!

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