Big Cluster Maple Granola

Well, this whole eating meat thing has been fun…But it’s time I start acting like the granola I really am, so what better way to return to my veg head than with a warm batch of homemade granola?

 

For Christmas, Mamma Hendo gave both Dad and I our own copies of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman. The recipes come from Perelman’s small kitchen in Manhatten. It is a truly wonderful cookbook, filled with detailed recipes, anecdotal, witty directions and tantalizing photographs of each and every recipe. 

 

So I went to the kitchen to gather the ingredients, and I was so excited that there were actually oats, olive oil, an egg and cinnamon in the house that I got a little carried away and thought I could just improvise with the other several ingredients. You see, in my kitchen in college we rarely have any ingredients found in any sort of edible recipe, forcing us to invent makeshift dinners of whatever’s around in the kitchen. Thankfully, my dad reminded me of the importance of a recipe. Disgusted with how far I was about to stray from the recipe, he told me to get dressed so that we could go buy the missing ingredients. “Never experiment with a recipe until you have followed it.” 

 Then the fun really started! I started measuring and combining ingredients! Yay!

Combine all ingredients except for the dried fruit and the egg white. Tossing to coat evenly. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until frothy. Stir in the granola mixture. 

I needed my dad to teach me how to separate the yolk from the white.

Next, spread it in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

While I was carefully distributing the granola with my spatula my dad stepped in saying "God made hands for a reason"

Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes and then use a large spatula to turn over sections of the granola. 

Bake for about 25 more minutes. 50 minutes in total. When the granola is evenly browned and feels dry to the touch, transfer the granola from the oven to the cooling rack. Cool completely. Once it is completely cool, sprinkle in the dried fruit. 

The granola keeps at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 weeks. It keeps even longer in the freezer, if you're the stockpiling type.

YUMMMMMMMYYYYY!!!!!! I will definitely be repeating this recipe. Next time I will press the "batter" more on the parchment paper so that the granola clumps together better. Mom and Dad both love it and I already want to make more tomorrow so that I can bulk up before returning to my makeshift college kitchen.