A Tale of Two Granolas

I was considering calling this post "GRANOLA DEATH MATCH (Duh duh DUH duh)" Good thing I decided against that...

I have been experimenting with making granola at home. These two recipes use a lot of the same basic ingredients, like cashews, dried sour cherries, honey and rolled oats. But, as is true in all cooking, the little tweaks made on each side make a world of difference. So, there will be two recipes, but only one set of directions because granola making is really in the ingredient list. The pictures are virtually indistinguishable...but I wanted to lend drama to the post.

Recipe #1 is a rich and delicious combination of honey and peanut butter. It is super tasty and has some real weight to it in the flavor profile. It burns a bit more easily, so make sure to keep an eye on that.

Recipe #2 is more of a salty-sweet vibe and is a good deal crunchier, which is definitely a plus for me. It is more of what I think traditional granola really tastes like. The flavor is lighter and it is really great. Also, it is inspired by Alton Brown, who is lovely and wonderful.

Recipe #1:

- 1/2 c. honey

- 1/2 c. peanut butter

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

- 3 c. rolled oats

- 3/4 c. cashews

- 1 c. sunflower seeds

- 1/4 tsp. salt

- 1 c. dried sour cherries

Recipe #2

- 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

- 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. honey

- 1/4 c. vegetable oil

- 3 c. rolled oats

- 1 c. cashews

- 1 c. raw pumpkin seeds

- 3/4 tsp. salt

- 1 c. dried sour cherries

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 275 degrees

2) Combine all dry ingredients (except dried fruit) in one bowl, and all wet ingredients in another. Make sure that both mixtures are well integrated. With both wet mixtures, I used a fork to incorporate ingredients.

3) Mix dry and wet ingredients. Stir until well combined.

4) Pour out mixture on a greased or lined baking pan (I used 9x13).

5) Bake for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

6) Add dried fruit while mixture is still warm. Allow it to cool to room temperature before storing.

7) Store in fridge.

Let me know what you think if you make either one of these recipes. I can't decide which one I like better. I guess I'll just keep tinkering with them until I figure it out!

Until our next breakfast,

ceh.