Granola? More like Fantastanola!

Granola is seriously addictive. The dangerous part though, is that it’s inconspicuously addictive. When I make it, I put it in a tupperware container in the cupboard and somehow it just disappears. I pretend like I don’t know how it happens, but I do. Every time I go into the kitchen I grab a handful of granola and munch away. Soon enough, there’s no more granola. This makes me sad because I really like granola with yogurt and fresh fruit but I rarely get around to eating it that way. You’d think the solution would be to make more granola, but that doesn’t help, I still plunder the cupboard until it’s bare of granola. Even the temptation to save some so that I can eat it with thick Greek yogurt and tart, juicy kiwi can’t stop me from demolishing my granola reserve.

I took a whole bunch of pictures of kiwi without even realizing it at the time, then when I was going through my pics I noticed an abundance of kiwi and a lack of my subject; granola. Possibly because I ate all the granola and there was none left to take pictures of, but possibly because kiwi’s just so photogenic. I remember thinking it should hang out with pomegranate because the two of them would be the most photogenic couple ever. Like Brangelina in fruit form.

The bonus photo today is of my Alsatian Apple Tart, (from Baking, naturally) which I chose to glaze with cassis jelly instead of apple, hence the purple. And as you can probably tell from all of my photos, I'm still struggling without a light in my kitchen. Damn you Landlord!

In other random thoughts, I've really been craving brownies lately. That is all.

Bri’s Addictive Granola, (Based on Dorie Greenspan’s Oatmeal, Honey and Nut Granola)

2 ½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup sunflower seeds

1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch cinnamon

½ cup pear puree

½ cup dried pineapple chunks

½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and have ready two large rimmed baking sheets lined with nonstick aluminum foil.

Mix all the ingredients together, except the dried fruit, in a big bowl. Keep turning the ingredients around so that the honey and pear puree coats everything. Divide the mix between the two baking sheets and spread it out so that you've got even layers.

Bake the granola for 40 to 50 minutes, turning it with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes or so. The turning is extremely important because you want to evenly toast and dry out the granola. If you find that the granola is browning unevenly, rotate your baking sheets front to back and top to bottom (if you're working on two shelves).

I can't give you an exact baking time, you have to keep looking at it. You want the color to be dark -the cereal won't have much taste or crunch if it's not - and you might have to sacrifice a few burnt nuts to get it. Just keep watching, particularly once the color starts to deepen. The granola may not seem completely dry when you take it out of the oven, but it will crisp up once it cools.

Cool the granola on the baking sheets, turning it often as it comes to room temperature. Stir in the dried fruits and store the granola in a covered container away from moisture.

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Granola + Dorie Greenspan