Weekday breakfast has never been a big deal for us. With both of us rushing to our respective offices, it has always been a ritual rather than a feast. When we started our lives together, we used to eat fancy cereal purchased from upmarket grocery stores and really relished it. We were so smitten that we even purchased some boxes on our international trips! And then we got really bored.
We then moved on to a long period of eating sandwiches in morning. A different sandwich every day but we finally reached a saturation point. We had had enough of the pesto, salami, paneer and what not sandwiches in morning. Again, we were bored.
So when we recently thought about going back to cereal, we were a much different couple in the kitchen. Our blog had obviously become more mature and our eating habits too were much healthier. And this time, we decided to make our very own granola - healthier than what is available in markets but without any compromise on taste. Any boy, what an amazing experience it was.
We must also give credit to our dear friend - Deepika Thukral - for inspiring us to make this. Looking at her recipe, we realized that it was doable and were inkling to make it soon. Thank you, Deepika for lighting the fire. And we hope we did justice to your wonderful recipe. We tweaked it a little bit, but the essence remains the same.
Ingredients
2 cups raw oats - we used the easy-cook quaker oats, however the old-fashioned or rolled version would work better
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup hazelnuts
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sea salt - what a discovery this was. Just makes it so different from any granola you will find in the market
1 tsp melted butter
1 cup dried berries - we used a multiple-berry mix
Method
1. Roast the hazelnuts in an oven for about 5 minutes at 200 degree centigrade. You may add a little bit of salt while roasting. Watch closely to ensure they do not burn.
2. Take out the hazelnuts and let them cool for 5 minutes. The aroma of hazelnuts will start filling your home and it is just so awesome.
3. Rub the hazelnuts between a kitchen towel or your fingers to take off the cover. This doesn't need to be a totally neat job but just get as much off as possible.
4. Chop the hazelnuts to quarters.
5. Mix the oats and dessicated coconut in a bowl and keep aside.
6. In a small bowl, add the maple syrup, vanilla and melted butter.
7. Add the maple syrup mixture, oats and coconut mix and the hazelnuts. Mix properly so that the mixture is evenly mixed. Add the cinnamon powder as well.
8. Evenly spread the mixture in an oven tray lined with parchment paper / silver foil.
9. In a pre-heated oven at 175 degree centigrade, toast the mixture for about 25 minutes. Every 5-10 minutes, take out the tray and mix the oats so they get toasted evenly.
10. Take out from the oven and let cool completely - about 10 - 15 minutes.
11. Once they are cooled, they will become crisp. At this point, at the berries and mix well.
Voila - a lovely granola is ready to be had with chilled milk. Dip in!
We then moved on to a long period of eating sandwiches in morning. A different sandwich every day but we finally reached a saturation point. We had had enough of the pesto, salami, paneer and what not sandwiches in morning. Again, we were bored.
So when we recently thought about going back to cereal, we were a much different couple in the kitchen. Our blog had obviously become more mature and our eating habits too were much healthier. And this time, we decided to make our very own granola - healthier than what is available in markets but without any compromise on taste. Any boy, what an amazing experience it was.
We must also give credit to our dear friend - Deepika Thukral - for inspiring us to make this. Looking at her recipe, we realized that it was doable and were inkling to make it soon. Thank you, Deepika for lighting the fire. And we hope we did justice to your wonderful recipe. We tweaked it a little bit, but the essence remains the same.
Ingredients
2 cups raw oats - we used the easy-cook quaker oats, however the old-fashioned or rolled version would work better
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup hazelnuts
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp sea salt - what a discovery this was. Just makes it so different from any granola you will find in the market
1 tsp melted butter
1 cup dried berries - we used a multiple-berry mix
Method
1. Roast the hazelnuts in an oven for about 5 minutes at 200 degree centigrade. You may add a little bit of salt while roasting. Watch closely to ensure they do not burn.
2. Take out the hazelnuts and let them cool for 5 minutes. The aroma of hazelnuts will start filling your home and it is just so awesome.
3. Rub the hazelnuts between a kitchen towel or your fingers to take off the cover. This doesn't need to be a totally neat job but just get as much off as possible.
4. Chop the hazelnuts to quarters.
5. Mix the oats and dessicated coconut in a bowl and keep aside.
6. In a small bowl, add the maple syrup, vanilla and melted butter.
7. Add the maple syrup mixture, oats and coconut mix and the hazelnuts. Mix properly so that the mixture is evenly mixed. Add the cinnamon powder as well.
8. Evenly spread the mixture in an oven tray lined with parchment paper / silver foil.
9. In a pre-heated oven at 175 degree centigrade, toast the mixture for about 25 minutes. Every 5-10 minutes, take out the tray and mix the oats so they get toasted evenly.
10. Take out from the oven and let cool completely - about 10 - 15 minutes.
11. Once they are cooled, they will become crisp. At this point, at the berries and mix well.
Voila - a lovely granola is ready to be had with chilled milk. Dip in!
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