Cherry And Cardamom Granola

A quick scan of my local health food store’s granola selection leaves me with the stark realization that if I want the convenience of prepackaged granola, I must forgo a college savings plan for my children. This realization led me down the DIY granola path, and I have yet to look back. It turns out homemade granola is tastier, more economical and absurdly easy. I’ve singed, burnt, pulverized and otherwise destroyed countless dishes, but I’ve yet to maim granola, which speaks to its ease. 

Granola is very forgiving and open to interpretation. Leave it in the oven a bit longer and you have a final product that’s crunchier. A little less oven time results in something softer. Play around with the nut to fruit portions too. Add a touch more maple syrup or honey for something slightly more decadent.  Spices will add depth and give the granola a story. 

And speaking of spices, one of my favorites is Cardamom. Cardamom is aromatic , flavorful, and a wonderful addition to baked goods. It balances nicely off the dried cherries and oats. I usually put sour cherries in our dish but any variety of dried cherries will work. In fact, if you don’t have dried cherries any dried fruit will do well. There are a whole host of medicinal applications for cardamom, but it’s flavor alone will be reason enough to add it to your morning bowl of granola!  

Cherry And Cardamom Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of old fashioned oats
• 1 cup of walnuts ( any nut or seed can be used)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of cardamom
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1 cup of dried sour cherries (any dried fruit will work).

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 300 F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Melt the coconut oil in a pan. Once melted, stir in the maple syrup.
• Mix the remainder of the ingredients, with the exception of the dried cherries, in a large bowl. Pour the melted coconut oil and maple syrup over the mixture ensuring everything is well coated.
• Spread out the mixture on the baking sheet and bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes or so. The granola should be ready in 30-40 minutes.
• Once cool, stir in the dried cherries.

Print the recipe below, and then, let’s chat in the comment section below… what is your favorite granola flavor?

[yumprint-recipe id=’21’]