Recipe
September 22, 2016
Roasted Hazelnut-Almond Granola Clusters
Angela Liddon shares a recipe from her cookbook Oh She Glows Everyday.
Oh, this granola. It has become an obsession for me and for Eric, who loves it as much as I do. The first time I made it, I knew it had to go into this book. It’s stolen the hearts of everyone who has tried it, from my recipe testers to family and friends. The granola is brimming with fragrant toasted hazelnuts and almonds, and it’s studded with chocolate chips and dried cherries. Binding it all together is a decadent mixture of maple syrup, coconut oil, and my homemade Roasted Hazelnut-Almond Butter, which brings out the naturally nutty flavor of the granola. If you don’t want to make the Roasted Hazelnut-Almond Butter, you can substitute [store-bought] raw or roasted almond butter in a pinch. Hard as it is not to keep this granola all to yourself, it makes a lovely homemade gift for the holidays, too. Just allow it to cool completely and then fill up a mason jar and add a ribbon and tag. It’s easy and festive, and your friends and family will be just dying for the recipe!
Directions
Yield: Makes 6 to 7 Cups
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Spread the hazelnuts over a small baking sheet and the almonds over another small baking sheet. Put both in the oven and roast for 12 to 14 minutes, until the hazelnut skins have darkened, cracked, and are almost falling off. Let the nuts cool on the sheet for 5 minutes or so. Transfer the hazelnuts to a damp dishcloth and rub vigorously until most of the skins fall off. The goal is to remove most of them, but a few stragglers are okay! Chop the hazelnuts and almonds and set aside.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and keep the oven set to 300°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together the chopped hazelnuts and almonds, oats, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, cherries, chia seeds, and salt.
- In a small pot, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Transfer it to a small bowl and whisk in the brown rice syrup, hazelnut-almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. (Normally I would just whisk everything into the pot to save a dish, but for this recipe we don’t want the wet mixture to become warm and melt the chocolate chips while mixing.)
- With a spatula, scoop the wet mixture on top of the dry mixture, being sure to get every last drop. Stir well until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop the granola mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out into a thin layer, no more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Try to space out the granola as much as possible so it has room to “breathe” while cooking.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 8 to 12 minutes more, until the bottom and edges of the granola are just starting to turn golden (the granola itself will still look a bit pale in color). The granola will get crispy as it cools.
- Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet, then break it apart into clusters. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks or in a large zip-top freezer bag in the freezer for a couple of months. Be sure to press all the air out before freezing (or use a straw to suck out all the air from the bag).
Excerpted from Oh She Glows Every Day by Angela Liddon. Copyright © Glo Bakery Corporation, 2016. Photography, Food and Prop Styling by Ashley McLaughlin. Lifestyle Photography © Sandy Nicholson. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada Books Inc., a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. All rights reserved.