I have a yogurt parfait for breakfast almost every day. This habit allowed me to explore at length the world of granola. So, in today’s post, I will share some of my exploration and what I learned from it to create my homemade granola recipe.
Why yogurt parfait? You may ask. Over the last year and a half, I’ve been pursuing significant improvements in my cycling. As part of this endeavor, I became familiar with sports nutrition, and one recommendation is to start your training day with carbohydrates of a low glycemic index. Oatmeal, yogurt, and most fruit fall into this category, so a yogurt parfait is a great choice.
I try to alter the recipe of my breakfast parfait according to the seasons and what fruits are available and reasonably priced. Initially, I tried every brand of granola and also variations of muesli. Finally, I settled to simple oat and honey granola for the texture, and it paired well with most fruit.
Then, I began exploring bakeries and specialty food shops; some of my favorite in the Seattle area are:
- Cone & Steiner in Capitol Hill.
- Rosellini’s in Ballard,
- Macrina Bakery, in Capitol Hill
- Fuel Coffee, in Capitol Hill
I especially liked the maple, oats, and pecan granola from Cone & Steiner. I like the flavor and the texture that pecans give. I also tried the granola from the Cheeseboard bakery in Berkeley, CA. They included flax seeds in it, and I loved it.
Many granolas pack some raisins and shredded coconut when it comes to inclusions. I find raisins quite dull, but they bring a wonderful natural sweetness to the parfait. However, I discovered the orange-flavored dried cranberries from Trader Joe’s some time ago. I always thought they’d be perfect if mixed in granola, so I decided to include them when I came up with my recipe. Those cranberries bring a citrus flavor that enhances every fruit I add to my parfait.
So, to summarize, what I appreciate in Granola is crunch, nuts like pecans, texture from the seeds, and natural sweetness from dried fruit. With all this information, I present you with my “Juanola Granola” recipe, which became my absolute favorite to the extent I only have that one.
Juanola Granola
My favorite combination for granola
A note on the recipe: I don’t measure the quantities, so everything is approximate. I recommend you try and adjust the flavor as you go.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp honey.
- 1 tbsp date syrup.
- 3 tbsp olive oil.
- 1 pinch of salt.
- 1 tbsp brown sugar.
- 2 cup of Rolled Oats.
- ¼ cup flax seeds.
- ¼ cup roasted pepitas. (optional)
- ½ cup pecans. Broken into tiny pieces.
- ¼ cup coconut flakes.
- ½ cup Trader Joe’s dried cranberries with orange flavor.
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF
- Whisk and combine the oil, honey, syrup, salt, and sugar until uniform in a large bowl.
- Add the oats, seeds, pepitas if using, and pecans to the bowl. Toss to combine thoroughly, ensuring that the mixture coats every grain and seed.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the mixture in a thin layer.
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and redistribute the mixture with a spoon.
- Bake for 10 minutes more, or until golden brown. Then remove from the oven and let the granola cool off.
- Once cool, mix with the coconut flakes and the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.
With this, I close the post. I hope you find this recipe helpful but take it as a template to alter all the ingredients and make it your own. Enjoy!
In-flight Project 