I’m a believer in a good breakfast. After all, you need something to look forward to when you heave yourself out from under your warm and cozy covers. A mug of hot, steaming coffee and a bowl full of granola with a small heap of flopping yogurt alongside is a morning wake up call that I can’t fight.
As a bit of a granola fiend, I already have several wonderful recipes already on this blog, so I really had to consider what made this olive oil granola different. Well, after my first bowl I was convinced of its greatness and it’s become my new go-to recipe. Sure this granola doesn’t clump up like some, but it has all the flavours and textures I crave in a breakfast bowl. Crispy oats, crunchy nuts & seeds, a mild sweetness and a warm spiciness from the cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg. And it doesn’t call for a boat-load of oil or sugar.
But I think the clincher here is that it makes a large batch – enough to fill my gigantic thrifted screw-top glass jar. It sits out on my counter and waits patiently until morning. After I’ve poured my coffee, I take out my favorite bowl, fill it halfway with granola and top with my favorite yogurt (a tart greek yogurt or my indulgently rich coconut yogurt from Liberté). If I’m lucky enough to have some fresh soft fruit, it comes along for the ride, but it’s totally unnecessary.
elsewhere: I received another welcoming wake up call this morning when I realized that this blog was listed as one of Saveur magazine’s 55 Great Global Food Blogs! Thank you Saveur & welcome new visitors! And as usual, every Wednesday, find a new recipe from me over at Poppytalk. Yesterday I posted a super simple recipe made for picnics and brown bag lunches – zesty zucchini with orzo.
big batch olive oil granola
(adapted from Sweet Amandine & Jamie Oliver)
8 c whole oats (gluten free if you use gluten free oats)
2 c almonds, roughly chopped
1 c pepitas
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
2 t cinnamon
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t nutmeg, freshly grated
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c maple syrup
1/3 c brown sugar
1 t sea salt
1 c dried cranberriesPreheat oven to 325F. In your largest bowl, mix together your whole oats, chopped almonds, pepitas, coconut, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
In a small saucepan, combine the oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and sea salt and simmer over medium heat until everything is melted.
Pour over oat mixture and toss until well mixed. Dump the mixture into 2 large sheet pans and bake in the middle racks for 25 – 30 minutes. Keep a close watch and stir mixture occasionally to prevent any burning and to spread that golden glow around. Divide the dried cranberries onto both sheets, stirring them into the mixture and bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let cool. Store in a tightly lidded container.
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Congrats on the Saveur nod! And you are so right about how it is easier to get up in the morning when you know you have something delicious to eat for breakfast!
I have oats, pepitas and cranberries in my pantry right now. I just might have to make this! It’s certainly calling my name! And with coconut yogurt too–I love that suggestion!
That’s so excellent you were mentioned in Saveur. Yay! I’m a breakfast girl too, and this granola looks delicious. Liberte is the best, no?
Thank you, hag!
I hope it does, Katie, it’s so delicious!
Thanks Renee, I was totally shocked 🙂 This granola is great but man, a dollop or two of Liberte…..perfection!!
I’ve never really gotten into eating granola, possibly because I never ate it growing up. I think this might have to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
well done on Saveur! I’m green with envy but figure we have a long (!) way to go yet. I got into adding a half cup flaked coconut into the mix and also 2 tbs peanut butter for variation when I fancied. Only recently discovered the olive oil instead of canola, but I swopped back as I find it affects the taste a bit and I don’t know whether olive oil is loads better for you really?
Olive oil & milk!?
The thought makes my stomach turn.
Congrats on Saveur!
For granola, haven’t used olive oil before but would like to give it a try.
Like all that oatmeal and extra nuts and seeds in homemade granola!
Joanne, my mom used to make it growing up and I thought it was the bees knees! Give it a try.
Thanks Adam & Theresa! I don’t find the olive oil affects the taste at all – I always use Sagra brand which I love but I think you’d need to find one without a heavy olive taste. I’m not sure on the health benefits really, but I really liked the taste of this granola, though you could certainly use any kind of oil you’d like.
Des, most granola contains oil & many contain olive oil. It’s baked and you usually can’t even taste it. I can’t taste it here. Don’t knock it until you try it.
Thanks Patricia! Yes, love a good nutty mix!
There was a popular olive oil granola recipe in the New York Times a while back, and I think it’s my favourite. I will have to give this version a whirl!
The coconut Krema yogurt is really good too.
Okay, big, BIG olive oil fan here 🙂
Just wanted to say that not only does olive oil taste great in traditional foods like salads and roast potatoes but in non-traditional recipes like almond lemon cake (yup, try it!) too! It is also incredibly good for you too. It ranks at the top of the list for heart healthy oleos with its monounsaturated fatty acids and its high content of antioxidant substances. I could go on and on…
I’d love to dig into this bowl of olive oil granola. It sounds healthy and looks tasty and if I saw it at my local farmer’s market selling for $8.00 for a small bag I’d probably buy it too!
p.s. Congratulations for your well- deserved Saveur magazine mention!
I wanna bake granola for such a log time! Your recipe might become the ONE! yummy!
Count me in as a granola fiend too. I love the idea of using olive oil. Such a fantastic recipe and congrats on being included on Saveur. What an honor! xoxo
Like you, I have a few favorite granola recipes already. But none use olive oil. (My current favorite uses coconut oil.) This looks really nice. Bookmarking it to try soon.
Hi! I really enjoy your posts and recipes. I am on a health kick after an 8-year hiatus from consistent physical activity and eating better than crap! I actually make my own granola myself and my own yogurt and peach spice jam that I flavor my yogurt with and top off with my granola. I have the recipes on my blog. I actually love granola with no sugar and just nuts and dried fruit, toasted, of course. That, to me, with some fresh fruit is all I need. Thanks for sharing and congrats on Saveur!
Lydia, I’ll have to seek that NYT version out! Always need new granolas 🙂 I’m going to have to give that brand of yogurt a go if I can find it in my ‘hood.
Yay, Bijoux, I knew you’d stand up for the olive oil! And yes, this is so much easier & cheaper than paying for a small bag at the market & even better tasting.
Chistelle, give it a try!! It’s delicious and you’ll be hooked.
Thanks achowlife for the props & the granola love. This is a good one 🙂
I’ve tried coconut oil too, Rivki. So good – I think you could swap it in here if you wanted.
Thanks so much pono. I do like some sweetness in my granola – but I’ve also just toasted oats under the broiler for a quick breakfast with nuts and that’s very good too! Thanks for stopping by!
THIS LOOKS UNBELIEEEVABLY DELICIOUS. I’d drag my butt out of bed for this, no questions asked! And thank you for not killing it with sugar! Everything about this (including its inherent partnership with tart yogurt and piping hot coffee) sounds like the perfect breakfast to me for sure. Mmmmmmmm!
Thanks Christine, I think it’s perfect too 🙂
Congrats! and great granola recipe.
Thanks so much, food hunter 🙂
Yumm love the look of this perfectly toasted granola. I love that Liberte coconut yogurt too!
And congrats on the Saveur list. 🙂
I made this and liked it. I do prefer the mouth feel of granola “nuggets”, but that’s a minor quibble. I could not detect the individual spices in the finished product, but they impart a pleasant nuttiness to the oats. I liked your excellent specifics (largest bowl, middle racks, stir occasionally), and very cute links to the five other granola recipes.
Anyway, I decided to use walnuts, as walnuts and maple syrup meld nicely. And I used sunflower seeds, which admittedly have less character than pepitas; then I swapped cherries for cranberries. The whole thing worked and the cost savings are dramatic, but is it still fair for me to rate this recipe or am I becoming one those epicurious reviewers who substitutes non-fat sour cream for crème fraiche and is surprised by the results?
Isn’t it the best, Ashley? Thanks so much 🙂
Robert, glad you liked this – even without the “nuggets”. I like your subs and I’m sure it was delicious.
Jeannette, I whipped this up in 20 minutes. Why does anyone bother buying granola?!
It’s actually in the oven right now so I can’t confirm the results yet, but I’m confident it’s wonderful.
If you’re confident, then I am too, Lydia! I hope it turned out great 🙂
Thought of you when I woke up this morning and had myself a delicious bowl of homemade yogurt and homemade granola on top. Talk about a great wake you up meal!