I keep telling people that all it took to get me back into blogging after 3 years of absence was a worldwide pandemic that has shut down global economies and businesses and left me suddenly unemployed with no hope of getting another job for weeks, possibly months.
It’s weird how things happen.
A little recap of my life since I’ve been away from the blog:
I quit kitchens and the blog. I got a job at an outdoor retailer, worked 8 hour days with a 1 hour break (mind-blowing seeing as in kitchens I would work 12 -16 hour days with no break). I got outside a ton, hiked a ton, made friends with other outdoorsy people, absolutely loved my new bakingless life. Took photos of the hiking and camping and landscapes, completely overhauled my instagram and even got a bit of work through that. Decided to move to a small mountain town by myself. Got a job, made some friends, fell in love with my town. Hiked a ton in the summer, snowboarded a ton in the winter, up until it all got shut down by the Coronavirus thing.
And here we are.
I’m at home, bored, and as much as I want to watch the extended LotR series all in one day, I feel like maybe I should do something productive. And a lot of people are going to be stuck at home, just like me, and maybe they’re wanting to do some baking or learn a new skill or try that recipe they’re always wanted to do. I’ve got some bread recipes coming, so if you want to try your hand at bread-making, keep an eye on this blog. Or just read my previous posts on bread - here is the I’ve-never-baked-bread-before-wtf-help-me post (with GIFs!), then once you got that down, you can move onto recipes like this wonderfully salty olive loaf, this rye and caraway seed loaf, this delightfully naturally purple walnut and sage loaf, or this healthy-ish seeded loaf.
But onto this recipe, which honestly isn’t much of a recipe. I never use the exact measurements - hell, I don’t even measure my ingredients for granola. Scandalous, I know, especially since I’m a major advocate for using scales instead of cups and shit.
Guys, just chuck what ya got into the bowl and go with it. Doesn’t really matter if it’s more or less, make it whatever you want with whatever you got. It’s granola, it’s gonna be okay. Stay safe out and take care.
Maple Cranberry Granola
500 g rolled oats
250 g seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax, whatever)
250 g nuts (sliced, crushed, slivered, whole, whatever)
100-200 g extra stuff (optional) (shredded coconut, raw quinoa, steel cut oats, puffed rice or grains, etc. etc.)
100 g dried fruit/berries
50 g maple syrup
25 g honey
25 g butter
25 g brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat your oven to 275 F.
Combine all your oats, seeds, nuts, etc (but not your dried fruit/berries) in a large bowl and toss to combine. Line two baking trays with silpats or parchment.
In a saucepan, combine the maple syrup, honey, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Melt over medium-low heat until everything is combined. Pour over the oat mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
Spread out evenly onto the two baking trays.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes without stirring, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. When cool, add the dried fruit/berries and stir to combine. Transfer to airtight containers or bags.
