Fruit and Nut Granola
Fruit and Nut Granola from Mary McCartney's cookbook FOOD. This delicious breakfast recipe with oats, seeds and dried fruit is a brilliant, energising way to start the day.
From the book
Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking
Delicious meat-free recipes
Sumptuous photograpy and family stories
New twists on vegetarian classics
Introduction
I always used to buy granola, until a friend showed me how easy and satisfying it is to make. What I love about it is that once you’ve made the syrup and measured out the oats you can modify the other ingredients to your own taste, by using your own choice of nuts and seeds and dried fruit (sticking roughly to the specified 50g for each ingredient). Or you can stick with this recipe, which I think is well balanced and has a lovely roasted flavour. I love to serve this with a big spoonful of plain yogurt and some blueberries on top.
Ingredients
| 250g | porridge oats, preferably jumbo oats (gluten-free, if required) |
| 45g | brazil nuts (approx. 10 nuts), roughly chopped |
| 50g | sunflower seeds, roughly chopped |
| 50g | pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped |
| 50g | dried apricots, chopped |
| 50g | raisins |
| 50g | dried cranberries |
| For the syrup: | |
| 3 tbsp | sunflower or cooking oil |
| 5½ tbsp | maple syrup |
| 5½ tbsp | runny honey |
Method
Preheat your oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.
In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, brazil nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Set this aside while you make the syrup.
To make the syrup pour the oil, maple syrup and honey into a small saucepan and heat gently until warm but not bubbling, stirring well until all the ingredients are mixed together. Take care not to let it bubble and overcook.
Drizzle the syrup over the oats, nuts and seeds and mix together so that all the ingredients are lightly coated.
Spread the mixture out evenly over the 2 baking trays, so that it is about 1.5cm deep. Bake for 30–40 minutes, taking it out of the oven 2 times during baking to mix the granola around and then return it to continue baking. When it’s ready it should be golden brown.
Take the granola out of the oven and now mix in the apricots, raisins and cranberries.
Set it aside to cool, then store in an airtight container and keep in a cool dry place until needed (stored like this, it will keep for 2–3 weeks).
