cocoa nib almond granola

my everyday bowl

granola with pear, sheep’s milk yogurt in my favorite bowl I made

Granola isn’t a one size fits all, rather it embraces customization. And to me, that’s a great lesson about cooking. It's a nice place to learn that I can tweak, edit, refine and adapt (all important life skills - I’m told.) So while I give you this very particular version, I am also here to tell you that every SINGLE INGREDIENT can be changed. What’s important is maintaining the same amount of “stuff” eg. oats, nuts, seeds to the liquid amount. For instance, you don’t have sesame but have flax, SURE! You want to double the almonds and eliminate the pumpkin seeds, SURE! You hate coconut, sub it with any other seed or nut, like cashew or walnut. You don’t want the cocoa nibs, fine by me - just add more oats. To be honest, I often make granola when I see bits of random nuts and seeds taking up too much real estate in a cupboard. It’s a great way to use up the lonely 1/4 cup of sunflowers another recipe called for. All you need is 9 cups total of dry, any way you divide is fine! Go forth and change it up- make it your granola!

I have been making this version for a little bit. My sister in law is truly obsessed. I love this particular combo and I call it my CALMING granola, as it’s rich in magnesium (with all the nibs, pumpkin seeds and sesame.) I particularly love this version in winter months, as I think the coconut, nibs, and lots of coriander pair very well with bananas, citrus and pears. (I like fresh fruit and yogurt with mine.) These spices can also be changed up. I will always be putting in copious amounts of coriander because it lends a fruity almost cereal like flavor. Trust me, it gives an almost fruity pebbles quality. But yet again, you might want something different so change it up. Do you like more baking spices like nutmeg and clove; Or maybe you want it more “rye” style - with lots of caraway.

I personally like to go low and slow with granola. Most common recipes I see say to bake at 350F. But I think cooking it at a lower temperature for longer lets everything toast evenly and it just seems to keep it crunchier longer. ( If you know me - I love a crunch…like I really like a crunch.)