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Almond-Raisin Granola

Source of Recipe

From "All-Time Best Brunch" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"We love rounding out a rich brunch with a cool bowl of yogurt topped off with this satisfyingly chunky, deeply flavored granola. Unlike the underwhelming (and overpriced) grocery store options, this easy, make-ahead-friendly granola brings home big, satisfying oat clusters and a perfectly crisp texture. The secret to keeping the sweet, toasty clusters in appealingly large chunks was spreading and firmly packing the granola into a rimmed baking sheet and cooking it undisturbed. A mixture of maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt promised a darkly sweet, nutty flavor that mirrored the toasty taste of the hearty rolled oats and chopped almonds. We baked the oat-nut mixture in a moderate oven and were rewarded with fragrant granola 'bark' that we could break into crunchy hunks of any size. To finish, we stirred raisins into the cooled granola for bursts of juicy sweetness. With a recipe this simple, coming up with a few more tempting flavor options was a breeze. Do not use quick oats here. Chopping the almonds by hand is best for superior crunch, but you can substitute an equal amount of slivered or sliced almonds, if desired. Use a single type of your favorite dried fruit or a combination."

List of Ingredients

◦ � cup vegetable oil
◦ ⅓ cup maple syrup
◦ ⅓ cup packed (2 ⅓ ounces) light brown sugar
◦ 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ 5 cups (15 ounces) old-fashioned rolled oats
◦ 2 cups (10 ounces) raw almonds, chopped coarse
◦ 2 cups (10 ounces) raisins, chopped


Recipe

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray parchment with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk oil, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in large bowl. Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly combined.

Transfer oat mixture to prepared sheet and spread across entire surface of sheet in even layer. Using stiff metal spatula, press down firmly on oat mixture until very compact. Bake until lightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Transfer sheet to wire rack and let granola cool completely, about 1 hour. Break cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in raisins and serve. (Granola can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.)

Makes about 9 cups







❧ Cherry-Chocolate Chip Granola:
Substitute dried cherries for raisins. Add 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips to mixture with dried cherries in step 4.

❧ Honey-Pecan Granola:
Substitute honey for sugar and pecans for almonds. Add 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon to oil mixture in step 2.

❧ Salted Caramel-Peanut Granola:
Omit raisins. Increase salt to 1 � teaspoons. Substitute � cup jarred caramel sauce for sugar and unsalted dry-roasted peanuts for almonds.