Make your own granola

This is a basic granola (toasted muesli) recipe that you can mix and match with your favourite ingredients. It makes a sweet little gift if you can find some nice glass jars…

DIY Granola

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 400g  rolled oats
• 100g mixed nuts & seeds (eg sesame seeds, blanched almonds, shredded coconut, pepitas, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, walnuts…)
• Dried fruits of your choice (eg raisins, dried apricots, cranberries, dates)

1. Heat honey and oil until mixed and warm.
2. Toss honey and oil with dry ingredients until they’re all coated.
3. Spread in thin layers on baking trays and bake each in a moderate oven (180C) for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Don’t stray too far from the oven; burnt muesli isn’t much fun!
4. Allow the granola to cool, then mix in chopped dried fruits. Serve with yoghurt and fresh fruit, or just with some milk.

When I made this I wanted a large quantity to use for Christmas gifts, so I doubled the recipe. I was also more generous with nuts and seeds and fruit, using hazelnuts, almonds, coconut, dried apricots, cranberries and big raisins as well as sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. You can pretty much throw in whatever you feel like, it’s hard to stuff this up. I also added a little hot water to the honey and oil to make it go further (how expensive is honey these days?). I’d like to try replacing some or all of the honey with a fruit juice or nectar (eg apple, mango) for a more subtle, natural sweetness. Some cinnamon or vanilla bean too could be a nice addition too.