Back in the day, my friend Sarah and I were always on the alert for fresh, homemade granola in our school cafeteria, which was affectionately referred to as Chuck’s.
- As she put it, we, along with the other 2% of the college population, went to breakfast, seeking a peaceful start to our day before the hustle of classes and studying. The first thing we’d look for was the homemade granola. Now, our cafeteria
always
- carried the bagged, standard granola. It was hard, crunchy, and full of dried up raisins. No walnuts. No almonds. No craisins. Not much of anything except for hard clusters.
- However, the sought after once-in-a-blue-moon granola had soft clusters and a melt-in-your-mouth buttery sweetness. This was the stuff to be treasured, and we knew the difference between the good stuff and its inferior alternative. Now, the homemade granola was in high demand, and Sarah and I knew that once it was out, it would last approximately 3-5 minutes. We never knew if another tray would arrive or if that was it. Our time to procure it was limited.
- So, being intelligent young women, we set up a high-tech notification system. One of us would arrive at breakfast earlier than the other, scout out the terrain, grab some granola, and await the others’ arrival. Upon arriving in the cafeteria, one of us would signal the other with, “There’s homemade granola!” and the other would sprint. We knew what we were doing, and it was awesome.
- Somehow, in her four years at school, Sarah managed to get the recipe to the magical granola, and we recently got together for the sake of recreating Chuck’s granola (and eating barbeque and playing Settlers of Catan).
- What follows is a buttery, sweet, breakfasty yet definitely-not-comparable-to-starting-your-day-with-Wheaties granola. It’s great for snacking, enjoying with milk or yogurt, mixing with peanut butter, fueling you through your morning hike (or commute), etc. You get it- the possibilities are endless.
Maple Peach Granola
Cuisine: Breakfast, Snacks
Author:
Serves: 6 cups
An indulgent granola made for snacking.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned peaches in heavy syrup, chopped (leave some liquid)*
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 2/3 cup maple syrup*
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 3/4 cup oats
- 3/4 cup nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cover surface of a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil, then grease.
- First, mix the peaches and brown sugar together until combined.
- Melt butter and add to peach/brown sugar mixture.
- Add remaining ingredients through nuts, stirring until everything is well incorporated.
- Pour the mixture onto prepared cookie sheet
- Bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes so the granola on the edges of the pan don’t burn. Remove when granola is golden brown and of the desired texture (30 minutes=soft granola, 45 minutes=crunchier granola)
- Transfer granola to another cookie sheet or large bowl to cool for at least 1 hour. Store granola in an airtight container at room temperature or, for longer shelf life, in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
*Any canned fruit in syrup will work (i.e. pineapple, pear, etc.)[br]*Honey can be substituted for the maple syrup
3.3.3077
Yum! Have to make this- what if you used homemade canned fruit in light syrup?
Hi Mom! I’m not sure what would happen because I didn’t try it with that kind of fruit, but if you want to go for it and let me know how it works, have fun!