[Recipe] Everyday Granola | What’s for Breakfast?

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.

― A.A. Milne

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day, one of the first things I think about when I wake up in the morning… but it hasn’t always been that way. In my younger years, breakfast was a rushed afterthought, simply a way to get some sustenance into my body before heading off to school or, later, to work. As a child, cereal was my go-to breakfast, and as a child of the ‘80s, my favorite cereals ranged from Honey Nut Cheerios to Frosted Flakes to Cinnamon Toast Crunch: the sweeter, the better (although, even then, I was immune to the charms of brightly, unnaturally colored cereals like Froot Loops). I even dabbled in Cracklin’ Oat Bran and Crispy Wheats ‘n’ Raisins, thanks to my dad’s fiber-rich cereal purchases. I had an aversion to raisins, however, and would eat only the “Crispy Wheats” out of the box, leaving a surplus of raisins at the bottom of the box for my dad, who didn’t appreciate this “gift.” (He also didn’t appreciate when I’d try to put my pet parakeet’s cage on the kitchen table so Tweety could enjoy breakfast with us too, but I digress.) In hindsight, I’m quite certain that my daily consumption of sweet breakfast cereals in my childhood contributed to my wicked sweet tooth in adulthood, although it’s possible that the after-school candy bars and bowls of ice cream also played a role. (Ah, the metabolism of youth!)

By the time I reached my early 20s and started grad school, and then started teaching writing, when many of the classes I taught were cruelly scheduled for 8 a.m., my quick bowl of sugary cereal wasn’t really helping me get through my busy morning: By 10:30, I’d be starving and tired and a little cranky, and it was around this time that coffee and I became really good friends. I was a frequent visitor at the Starbucks around the corner from campus, and in between classes, a scone plus a latte became my favorite mid-morning pick-me-up.

After I finished grad school and I started working from home, where I no longer had a Starbucks within walking distance, I was able to take the time to eat a proper breakfast, and it quickly became my favorite part of the day (especially when I could linger over my coffee while paging through the latest issues of my favorite food magazines). Most mornings I still ate cereal, although, in an effort to act more like an adult, I started buying the ones that were less sweet and more fiber-rich than the cereals of my childhood. (Alas, these “grown-up” cereals didn’t have cartoon characters on the box or surprise toys inside.) But on some mornings, I’d add a slice of whole-wheat toast spread with almond butter, or scramble some eggs, or have a bowl of Greek yogurt with fruit, and on those mornings I’d feel like I had a little more energy and I was able to make it until lunchtime before I’d be hungry again. I wasn’t ransacking the refrigerator and pantry for a mid-morning snack, or feeling cranky from a sugar crash, or wanting to gnaw on my own arm.

Now that I’m, ahem, no longer in my 20s (or 30s), I cannot start my day with a sugar-heavy and/or protein-scarce breakfast and expect to be productive. As much as I enjoy pancakes and bagels and the occasional chocolate-laced treat for breakfast, I need to have some protein to balance out the simple carbs and sugars, or I get cranky and feel yucky and am ready for a nap by noon. As the saying goes, with age comes wisdom, and with age I’ve realized the importance of a balanced breakfast, with protein and good fats and complex carbohydrates and fiber (and coffee, of course)—but still, I want it to taste good, to make me excited to get out of bed, to make me look forward to eating breakfast. And once I became a mom, I wanted my boys to appreciate the benefits of a nutritious—and delicious!—breakfast, especially before they’d head off to school for a long day of learning. And yet, mornings with young kids can be hectic, so our weekday breakfasts also have to be quick and easy. A tall order? Perhaps, but I was undeterred.

Most “healthful” cereals on the grocery-store shelves left much to be desired—namely, taste and the ability to satiate. I eventually grew tired of chomping on flavorless dried “twigs” and bland, cardboard-like flakes. And although my hungry kids would eat most of these cereals with a minimum of complaints, some mornings they not-so-secretly wished it were Sunday, when Daddy would make pancakes. Store-bought granola was an improvement, but many of the better-tasting ones were full of sugar and thus not much better for you than most sugary kids’ cereals. But once I discovered how easy it was to make my own granola at home, where I could control the amount of sugar and customize the ingredients to fit our likes and dislikes, it was a game-changer. The boys have been enjoying “Mommy’s” granola for breakfast most mornings ever since, and when it’s paired with their usual bowls of yogurt (protein!), I feel like I’m sending them off to school on the right nutritional foot. Even my husband has jumped enthusiastically on the granola bandwagon, a surprising turn of events because, for as long as I have known him, he has been a notorious breakfast-skipper (something I could never understand, as my first thoughts when my eyes open in the morning are I’m hungry, followed by what’s for breakfast?). Now when the glass jar on the kitchen counter is empty, he occasionally takes it upon himself to make a new batch of granola if I’m not quick enough to refill it.

I don’t quite remember which recipe inspired me to start making my own granola—it might have started with a recipe for chocolate (!) granola I found online—but I’ve been making homemade granola once or twice a month now for the past 7 years, and I can’t stop. The Internet probably doesn’t need another granola recipe, but nonetheless, I am sharing this one with you here, because almost everyone who has tried it has asked me for the recipe. I have a folder full of all sorts of granola recipes that I’ve tried and loved (that chocolate one is in there for sure, and so is my holiday gingerbread granola), and every so often I’ll dive into the archives and make one of those recipes to shake things up a bit, but this recipe below is the one I make most often, our “house” granola, if you will. It has a standard base of oats, with walnuts and pumpkin seeds for added crunch, all coated in a not-too-sweet, just-shy-of-savory mixture of maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and olive oil (yes, olive oil!). This is the granola I bake for weekend houseguests. It’s the one I give to friends and family in pretty jars as hostess gifts and thank-you gifts. It’s the one I mailed across the country to my dad when he was recovering from major surgery. It’s the one we eat nearly every day, with Greek yogurt for breakfast, with milk as an after-school snack, or simply by the handful as a pre-dinner, hunger-taming nibble. It’s portable, it makes your house smell amazing when it’s baking, it goes particularly well with coffee, and, according to a few gift recipients of said granola, it makes an excellent topping for ice cream. And if I’ve done my job, you’re on your way to the kitchen right now to bake a batch of granola, and you’re already looking forward to tomorrow’s breakfast.

Everyday Granola: Maple Walnut Granola with Olive Oil and Pumpkin Seeds

 

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If you’ve never made your own granola before, you might be wondering, “Why bother?” And to that I say, “Why not?” Beyond the health benefits and the superior flavor, making your own granola is super easy, and this recipe is particularly simple: It’s just measuring, mixing, and baking; there is no chopping involved, and you don’t even have to turn on your stove (just your oven)! Thus, it’s another great recipe to make with your kids and get them involved in the kitchen.

Like most granola recipes, this one is very adaptable and takes kindly to substitutions. Feel free to make it your own: Use different nuts or seeds, add different spices, swap out the olive oil for another oil, or add some dried fruit or chocolate chips (after baking). Someday you, too, might have your own “house” granola!

Yield: Approximately 7 cups.

Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen

Ingredients

• • 1 (18-oz./510 g) container (about 5 cups) old-fashioned rolled oats (NOT quick-cooking or instant oats) (For gluten-free granola, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.)
• • 1 cup chopped raw walnuts (I buy the walnuts already chopped to save time.)
• • 1 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (often called pepitas)
  
  
• • ⅔ to ¾ cup real maple syrup (I like my granola less sweet, so I use ⅔ cup; if you like it sweeter, use ¾ cup, as my husband does when he makes it.)
• • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil *
• • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• • ½ to ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste **

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300° F and line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.
3. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and well-combined.
4. Slowly pour the maple syrup mixture over the oats mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula to thoroughly and evenly coat the oats, nuts, and seeds.
5. Divide the mixture between the two parchment-lined sheet pans, spreading it out into a flat, even layer on each pan. Bake for 20 minutes; remove the pans from the oven and use a spatula to stir the granola by scooping it up from the edges of the pans toward the middle, and spreading it evenly again. Return the pans to the oven, rotating them top to bottom, and continue to bake until the granola is dry and golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes more. (To ensure even baking, I give the granola at least one more stir, at about the 10-minute mark.)
6. Remove the pans from the oven, and let the granola cool completely on the pans. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks—if it lasts that long! (I’ve also been told it freezes well, for up to 3 months, if you don’t go through it that quickly.)

Notes

* I use olive oil in my granola because I really like the depth of flavor that it brings. You might be skeptical, but unless you use an olive oil that has overly strong floral or grassy notes, I assure you that your granola will not taste like a salad. As long as you use an olive oil that you like the flavor of on its own, you really can’t go wrong. My current favorite olive oil to use for baking is California Ranch Mild and Buttery Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, as it lends a buttery flavor without any actual butter. You can certainly use canola oil or another neutral-flavored oil instead of olive oil in this recipe, if you prefer, but I encourage you to give it a try at least once with a good-quality olive oil.

** I give a range for the amount of salt in this recipe because I realize salt is a subjective thing, but I still wanted to give you a starting point. I like this granola with a little more salt (3/4 teaspoon), especially if I use (or rather, if my husband uses) the larger amount of maple syrup in the recipe, because it helps to balance the sweetness. Moreover, different brands of salt have different levels of “saltiness,” so I’d recommend starting with the smaller amount of salt (or even less) the first time you make this recipe (or any recipe, for that matter). Personally, I use the Diamond Crystal brand of kosher salt for baking, which I understand is less salty than Morton’s brand. So if you use the latter, or if you’re using table salt, you’ll probably want to use ½ teaspoon of salt, or possibly even less.

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