Cherry almond granola

Cherry almond granola

Last night I watched 6 episodes of Grey's Anatomy (season 6, Mercy West merger - and don't judge me) with a bag of this granola by my side. It started out very, very full. And eventually I ate it all the way to the bottom. I went through an entire bag of granola by the end of the second episode, which is both impressive and kind of sad. But not the least bit surprising becuase granola is one of my favorite foods; it's healthy, rich in vitamins and filling. Not to mention, it tastes ridiculously delicious when baked with the proper flavors. Like cherry and almond. Delicious, I tell you.

Cherry almond granola

The thing I love about this granola recipe is that it's not loaded with sugar and oil, like most granolas. But, if you'd like to amp up the sweetness, you could double the amount of agave nectar - but I wouldn't recommend it. In an ideal world you would use cherry puree in place of the cherry juice, but since cherries aren't redily available all year around, the juice will suffice. I bet this granola would be great with mini chocolate chips. Maybe some cacao powder? And add as many add ins as you want - the more, the merrier. Because getting a handful of cherries isn't such a bad thing.

CHERRY ALMOND GRANOLA

6 tbsp cherry juice
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 tsp unsulphured molasses
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pure almond extract
1 tbsp soy cream
2 c. rolled oats
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper; set aside. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the cherry juice, agave, molasses, vanilla extract, almond extract and cream; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, flax meal, salt and coconut, then slowly stir in the cherry mixture. Spread the granola over the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 325˚F for 20 minutes then remove from oven and mix in the almonds; break up any large clumps and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (if you used more than 1/4 cup of agave, you may have to bake it for an additional 15-20 minutes). Remove from oven and toss with cherries immideately. Let cool on the baking sheet then transfer to a small brown bag for storage.

Yield: approximately 3 1/2 cups

9 comments:

  1. i never make granola because it's always packed with sugar and fat, and i just don't go there. but, this is healthy enough for me to eat! it looks absolutely delicious and i love the cherries/almond/coconut combo ;)

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  2. i'd love a little chocolate chips in this too. i dont like over sweet granola.. the dried fruit or just a little chocolate makes it good enough for me!

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  3. Sounds delicious. I recently made a low sugar low fat granola and was reminded how awesome it can be - not to mention how fun to make yr own. Also, great timing - I just bought a bunch of dried cherries to make random valentiney things with.

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  4. I love Grey's Anatomy too...But I normally have Cheetos with me when I watch it. This granola recipe looks really perfect. I'd make a batch for breakfast. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Oh, man, I'm so glad you found my blog, so I could find you! What a beautiful blog you have. I've made granola once, but I think I did it wrong because it tasted burned, and I wasn't sure if I should eat like cereal. It didn't taste right when I did that, so I ate it plain, but mine was definitely ho-hum. This looks and sounds delicious. And what really warms my heart to you is that you can chow down on so much food while focusing on television. A vegan like me, yay!

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  6. Oh gosh, homemade granola is the way to go. I can pass up the store-bought kind any day, but if you set a bowl if the good stuff in front of me and it is gone! Also, how amazing are dried cherries? I am obsessed.

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  7. Oh boy, the granola sounds just right — not too sweet, and full of flavor. It's been too long since I've made granola and now you've made me want some. As for Grey's Anatomy, six is a lot at a time, but that's the way I like to watch TV, too. I watched Sex and the City at a rate of one year per week until I'd seen it all. Did the same with Lost and Six Feet Under until I'd caught up to what was currently showing, but it was much more satisfying to watch several episodes at once. (Sleep can get a little skewed during marathons, but that's OK.)

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  8. I love this. It sounds like the perfect granola recipe; not to sweet and filled with beautiful ingredients. I love the cherry-coconut combo !

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  9. Mmmm, this sounds so good! And I love that it's not too sweet.

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