The best Granola we've ever purchased is from Plowshare Farm. They sell it on ETSY, and in our farm store. My husband eats so much of it, I decided to try and make it myself. I made a few changes - eliminating seed oils for instance - and it's now "the best granola ever!" according to my husband...
I started out by separating the components in the Plowshare bag, weighing them, and measuring them.
I came up with the following:
- 41 g. walnuts (1/3 cup)
- 39 g. raisins (1/4 cup)
- 26 g. dates (3 T.)
- 35 g. oats plus coconut (about 2 c. I was unable to separate these)
Using several recipes I found online as a guide to the process and baking times, I then made one recipe using those exact proportions, but substituting coconut oil for the sunflower oil. It was good but we thought it could be better.
Using cacao butter gave it a slightly chocolate flavor, and replacing the raisins with currants and unsweetened tart cherries joint-friendly. Replacing the walnuts with cashews and macadamia nuts reduced the omega-6 even further. I've also just started using sprouted oats, because they have a lower glycemic index.
Several iterations later, this is the version we like the best. It's also the healthiest I've found anywhere!
I no longer chop my own dates, I buy organic Kartago chopped date cubes here. They're covered with rice flour. This brand, which I have not tried yet, does not use any flour.
YOU WILL NEED TWO SHEET PANS, AND TWO OVEN RACKS FOR THE AMOUNT BELOW. If you don't have two of each, you should halve the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 cups rolled oats, preferably sprouted**
- 3/4 c. cashew chips (my sister prefers almonds, use whatever nuts you like)
- 3/4 c. macadamia chips (cashew and macadamia nuts are low in omega-6)
- 1.5 c. date cubes (if you cube your own, you will need about 9 large medjul dates)*
- 1/4 c. currants
- 1/3 c. tart cherries withOUT added sugar
- 1 T. Ceylon cinnamon (use less, if you prefer Vietnamese cinnamon)
- 1 t. vanilla powder
- 1/2 c. cacao butter
- 1/2 c. maple syrup
- 1/4 c. malt extract*
INSTRUCTIONS
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325F.
Skip the next step if you're able to source date cubes.
Slice dates into 1/4" strips and sprinkle with some malt extract (about 1-2 T.). Slice into 1/4" cubes and sprinkle with malt extract to coat each piece (about 1-2 T.). SET ASIDE to 'dry' while you bake the granola. Do not mix with the oats until they're cooked!
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| Sliced dates on the left, sprinkled with malt powder, chopped dates on the right. |
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| Close-up of chopped dates covered with malt powder. |
START HERE if you're able to source dates cubes!
Mix the oats, nuts, cinnamon and vanilla in a large bowl. DO NOT ADD THE FRUIT AT THIS TIME!
Mix the maple syrup with the remaining malt powder in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the malt melts into the syrup. Add the cacao butter and stir until melted.
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| Add cacao butter to maple-malt mixture |
Pour the maple-malt-cacao-butter over the oat-nut mixture and stir to coat evenly.
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| Pour maple-malt-cacao-butter over oat-nut mixture |
Spread evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Don't wash the bowl - you'll use it later.
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| Spread evenly in parchment-lined sheet pan |
Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, for 30 minutes. REDUCE THE HEAT TO 300F. Continue baking for another 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until golden brown. Rotate the pans and swap oven racks so they brown evenly. I KNOW...all this stirring and swapping is a pain, but it does end up more evenly toasted that way. I tried stirring every 20 minutes and nearly burned them!
When I make this, I make a double recipe using 4 sheet pans, and I rotate them so that each pan spends time on each rack. I end up with 3 half-gallon jars of granola. If you only have one oven rack you should halve the recipe and use one sheet pan.
If you don't like big chunks, break them up as you stir.
In my oven it took 1 hour, in my sister's oven 30 minutes.
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| Baked oat-nut mixture |
Cool on the sheet pans.
Transfer back into the bowl you used to mix it together. Add fruit and stir to combine. If you add the fruit before you bake it, the fruit will burn.
Transfer to a glass container with a lid. It should keep for 2 months in a cool dark place (cabinet or basement). Don't store it in an open container, or it will lose its crispness.
*NOTE: If you can find chopped dates covered with coconut or some other powdery substance you won't need to coat them in malt powder. Malt powder is slightly sweet but loaded with nutrients that sugar does not have. You can leave it out, or substitute another sweetener, like brown sugar or Swerve. My sister leaves it out entirely. I suppose...you could try coating the dates in coconut flakes...let me know if it works!
**You can use up to 2 cups coconut instead of some of the oats, but we prefer it with just oats.
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