Don’t you just love being toasty? Toasty toes, toasty…. toast. I don’t know, there’s just something I love about toasty. And in my books there is one thing that I enjoy way more when it is toasty – muesli. You can eat it in your pyjamas at any time of day with a hot cup of tea and it will fill you up and make you feel warm from the inside out. If you make your own you can only put the good things in, which it makes a totally legitimate snack or emergency dinner as well as an excellent bowl of breakfast. So, if you like your muesli toasty too, this recipe for Berry and Almond Granola can be your delicious bowl of toasty whenever you need it…
A good bowl of muesli can keep you going all morning – which is especially important when the weather gets a bit colder, or if you have a big day ahead. Oats are a traditional muesli staple and, if they serve your body well, can provide you with great slow burning energy plus some good fats, protein and fibre, so they can make a great option for breakfast. By making your own muesli you know what goes into it, and you can tweak it for what suits your body and tastebuds best. If you are gluten-intolerant then oats may or may not be suitable for you. If you are okay with eating oats make sure you buy a brand that specifically has ‘gluten-free’ on the packet – this will ensure that they haven’t been processed on shared equipment and are a variety of oat with lower levels of the inflammatory proteins (yes, not all oats are made the same!).
This granola recipe isn’t too sweet, and has a delicious nutty flavour rather than the overly sweet (sugar-laden) store-bought kind. My kids were the geniuses who thought of putting freeze dried strawberries into their muesli; the strawberries go a little bit chewy and make for a tangy pop of flavour in the middle of eating your bowl. I added in some extra dried berries and crunchy activated almonds, because I think toasty gets even better when it’s extra crunchy! My daughter loves the almonds, my son does not (bonus, I get to eat his!) so go with what you feel and make your ultimate bowl. Sneaking in the almond butter adds a bit of extra protein, good fats and staying power.
Berry and Almond Toasty Granola
I figure if you are going to the effort to make your own muesli, you may as well make enough to keep you going for a few weeks! Hence the big quantities! If it all feels like too much, then feel free to half the recipe and use only one baking tray.
50 – 60 minutes • makes around 2 kg, enough to keep you going for quite some time.
You will need: a large bowl, two baking trays lined with baking paper and a large spoon.
1 kg rolled oats (make sure they are gluten free ones, if you are intolerant)
1 tablespoon vanilla powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
250ml (1 cup) olive oil
200ml (a bit more than 3/4 cup) maple syrup
125ml (1/2 cup) almond butter
300g (2 cups) raw or activated almonds, roughly chopped
+
75g freeze dried strawberries
360g (2 cups) dried berries – I used half dried blueberries and half dried raspberries
Preheat your oven to 150° C / 300° F / Gas mark 2. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl stir together the oats, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir through the olive oil, maple syrup and almond butter until well combined. Stir through the chopped almonds and divide the mixture between the two baking trays. Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring them and flipping them every 10 minutes, until they are golden – what you are looking for is aroma and colour as the muesli will still seem a little damp at this stage and will continue to crisp up once it has cooled.
Once the muesli has cooled stir through the dried fruits, and spoon into air tight containers.
The muesli will keep for several weeks in a cool, dry place, ready to pour yourself a big bowl whenever you need.
Berry and Almond Toasty Granola
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Loading...Ingredients
- 1 kg rolled oats (make sure they are gluten free ones, if you are intolerant)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 250ml (1 cup) olive oil
- 200ml (a bit more than 3/4 cup) maple syrup
- 125ml (1/2 cup) almond butter
- 300g (2 cups) raw or activated almonds, roughly chopped
- +
- 75g freeze dried strawberries
- 360g (2 cups) dried berries - I used half dried blueberries and half dried raspberries
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 150° C / 300° F / Gas mark 2. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl stir together the oats, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir through the olive oil, maple syrup and almond butter until well combined. Stir through the chopped almonds and divide the mixture between the two baking trays. Bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, stirring them and flipping them every 10 minutes, until they are golden - what you are looking for is aroma and colour as the muesli will still seem a little damp at this stage and will continue to crisp up once it has cooled.
Once the muesli has cooled stir through the dried fruits, and spoon into air tight containers.
Notes
• gluten free • refined sugar free •
The muesli will keep for several weeks in a cool, dry place, ready to pour yourself a big bowl whenever you need.
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