There are a lot of food items that are better off store-bought or taken from the safe confines of a restaurant kitchen (especially considering our sub-par DIY skills). Pretty much every food, in our opinion. But there’s one thing that we can confidently say that, when mastered, is far and away better than anything you can get at Whole Foods: granola, the breakfast staple best paired with Greek yoghurt and berries. Why are we suddenly so assured when it comes to this particular culinary venture? Well, because we’ve tried Claire Ptak’s healthy (flax, coconut oil, quinoa; check, check, check) hazelnut recipe. And we’re hooked. And, like, we’re sure the version made by Ptak’s own hands is probably the ultimate winner (she’s the owner of our favorite sweet stop across the pond, Violet Cakes Bakery—must-have cookbook out now), but the fact that we can get thisclose to her dish with the below recipe has us feeling pretty good about ourselves.
"This granola is a favourite snack. I am pregnant at the moment and I keep a bag in my car and in my handbag for those unbelievable snack attacks that seem to hit me daily! This granola is gluten free, sweetened with agave and totally vegan. Granola is really fun to make, so if you have never tried to, now is the time."
INGREDIENTS
3 cups oat flakes
3 cups quinoa flakes
½ cup amaranth flakes
¾ cup whole almonds
¾ cup whole hazelnuts
½ cup ground flax seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup agave syrup
¼ cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup water
2tsp pure vanilla extract
½tsp ground cinnamon
Grate of fresh nutmeg
½ tsp of sea salt
¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup dried apricots, but into quarters
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
2. Combine the flakes, almonds, hazelnuts, flax, sesame and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, combine the agave syrup, olive oil, coconut oil and water. Place over a medium heat and whisk constantly to melt it all together without burning.
4. Remove the syrup mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla, spices, and salt. Pour this over the oat mixture and stir well to completely coat the oats, nuts, and seeds.
5. Spread the mixture out onto a few baking trays lined with baking paper. Place the baking trays in the oven for approximately one hour.
6. Remove from the oven, add the coconut flakes and toss well with a metal spatula (you can keep them clustered if bite-sized chunks for easy eating by hand if you like) and return to the oven. Lower the temperature to 300°F and bake for another 35-40 minutes until the mixture is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before stirring in the apricots of the moisture from the apricots will make the granola soggy. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.