Give the Edible Gift of Maple Granola

I go in for all manner of dorky DIY projects: jam, scarves, window cleanser, but I’ve always drawn the line at homemade granola, because frankly, enough is enough. It seemed to me that people who made their own granola were tidy and polite and always wiped down the stove. They probably kept both toilet paper and tissues in their bathrooms and even made their own yarn prior to using it to knit their own scarves.

In other words, people who made granola represented an entirely new level of domesticity and one that I felt compelled to resist lest I find myself on the slippery slope towards hand-crocheted doilies and clothing for animals.

Besides, I thought, store-bought granola is pretty good, right?

However, my homemade granola ban began to erode just before Christmas last year. I was faced with shopping for my dad, a man who buys everything he wants even right before major gift-giving holidays. With days to spare, I recalled one of his favorite treats: Maple Granola, baked and sold by the Cold Hollow Cider Mill of Waterbury, Vermont.

My dad goes to Vermont often, but not quite often enough to satisfy his taste for granola, and since the Cider Mill charges an “astronomical amount” (his words) for shipping, he refuses on principle to order it. I decided on a temporary lift of the ban, just long enough to replicate the granola and provide him with a homemade batch and a recipe. Perfect.

The basic premise behind granola is to take rolled oats, nuts and some spices, and use something sticky and slightly sweet to bind it all together. After that, the whole mess gets toasted in the oven until dark and crunchy. It’s really quite simple, but the Cider Mill’s granola has a rich fall flavor and a Vermont-y quality that I had to get if my dad was going to be satisfied with this substitution.

I flavored my granola with maple syrup and reduced apple cider, added a bit of cinnamon and ginger and the results were sublime: flavorful and crunchy, full of toasted almonds and every bit as good as the original. If not better.

I gave my dad the granola, he liked it--but unfortunately, this is not where the story ends. Sadly, my ban has never been put back in place. I haven’t bought granola in a year and probably never will again. I’ve been making it every couple of months, slowly improving it. Worse still, I’ve been wiping down the stove and making my bed. It’s kind of nice; and since I’ve yet to produce any dog sweaters, you should feel safe enough to go ahead and make a batch yourself.

Maple Granola

makes about 8 cups of cooked granola

5 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

2 cups raw almonds, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger  

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups apple juice or cider

1/3 cup maple syrup (grade B is preferable, it has a stronger maple flavor)

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups dried fruit: Do not bake these, they get added later. My favorite choices are dried figs (stemmed and chopped) and cranberries, but feel free to use anything you like, or leave out the dried fruit entirely in favor of fresh fruit.

In a small saucepan, cook the cider over medium high heat until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Preheat the oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, chopped almonds, cinnamon, ginger, brown sugar and salt. In a small bowl, combine the vegetable oil, reduced cider, maple syrup, honey and vanilla. Combine oat mixture and wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

Spread the mixture out evenly on two sheet pans and bake, stirring every ten minutes or so, until the oats are brown and the almonds are nicely toasted (taste one to check), about 40-60 minutes. Because of the spices and apple cider, this granola will looks darker than storebought. When cool, pack in an airtight container. (Unless I’m giving this as a gift, I don’t add the fruit to the whole batch, but instead add it just before eating. Over time, any moisture in the dried fruit can cause the granola to go prematurely stale.)