Wednesday 4th December 2019.
A jolly way to start the day. It's such a treat to have your day start with a bowl of something which hasn’t been put together with your own hands. Whether that’s brunch at a café for a friends birthday, down at the hotel buffet on our summer holidays, or even just a cup of instant coffee and a slice of toast made by a loved one. I never stray far from my usual though. The thought of pastrami and brie first thing in the morning makes my stomach turn. Granola is my safe space. Every morning I take out my favourite bowl, add a spoonful of sour kefir then top it with seasonal fruit and clusters of golden oats. I have no idea how this ritual began, but I have no desire to change it. The quiet curiosity inside me does however sometimes have an urge to mix it up ever so slightly to see if it can be improved. Every year, on the last day of November, I make my ‘Christmas granola’. It has become somewhat of a tradition in my house to mark the start of my favourite month, and to inadvertently give me a gentle nudge to begin wrapping presents to (attempt to) avoid the hellish Christmas Eve ‘rush wrap’ that I face every, single, year.
Ingredients (makes one large jar):
- 300g jumbo porridge oats
- 75g pumpkin seeds
- 50g flakes almonds
- 100g dried cranberries
- 100g golden sultanas
- 75g coconut flakes
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1/4tsp ground nutmeg
- 150ml maple syrup
- 6 tbsp coconut oil
- Zest 1 orange
- Seeds 1 vanilla pod
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C/150 for fan ovens.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, seeds, almonds and spices then give it a good mix with a fork.
3. Place a small saucepan on the hob over a low heat and add the coconut oil, maple syrup, orange zest and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Gently warm through until the coconut oil has melted completely. It’s important not to let it boil.
4. Pour the warm syrup over the granola mixture and stir thoroughly until all the oats are coated.
5. Tip the mix out in a thin layer, on a large baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.
6. Once baked, add the sultanas, cranberries and coconut, mix, then decant into an airtight container where it will sit happily for up to one month.
Kommentare