what better way to start favorites than with judy's killer granola? it is definitely, absolutely among my favorite things. and quite possibly the single reason our campers come back year after year. it has made camp shetek so famous! we make gigantic batches (like 12x the original recipe) about every other day to keep the campers happy. (and yes, there is a recipe in this post!)
so how do i love this granola? let me count the ways...
1. sprinkled on my peanut butter and banana toast
2. mixed into my bowl of multi-grain cheerios
3. atop my yogurt
4. with milk and a spoon (you don't much to get really full)
5. scattered on ice cream
6. smashed into a peanut butter sandwich
7. hot from the oven or 2 weeks old (if it's been sealed nice and tight)
8. in the camp shetek special: pancakes with applesauce, and granola on top
9. in a parfait!! this my latest thing. i eat one everyday. chop 1 sweet braeburn apple into cubes, cover with plain yogurt, and top with granola. voila! the perfect little snack. the tartness of the yogurt is amazing with the sweet/salty of granola and apples. it tastes like a chilled version of apple crisp.
{apple + yogurt + granola = parfait}
10. bonus christmas idea. as a gift! the nice thing about granola is there's always enough to share. pour into glass jars, seal, and wrap with a pretty ribbon or twine to make a super simple gift for friends, neighbors, even family-far-away! granola ships so easy! i once sent a box of it all the way out to idaho for my crosscountry friend marta.
{granola makes an awesome, inexpensive gift}
camp shetek granola
invented by mom judy
and altered just a tiny bit by me (less sugar! you won't even miss it.)
5 cups oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup brown sugar, well packed
2 T. cinnamon
3 T. vanilla
1 t. salt
3/4 cup oil
optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts
mix ingredients in order given and spread onto a large jelly roll pan (or cookie sheet, but it is nice to have a lip to prevent spilling). bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. store in an airtight container after it has completely cooled.
*for a peanut butter-lovers version, my sister heidi invented this method: omit 3/4 cup of oil, and instead melt 1 cup peanut butter with 1/4 cup oil and the brown sugar in a saucepan until smooth. drizzle over the other ingredients and mix well. cooking time and temp are the same.
**can easily be gluten-free if you use gf oats
maybe granola will be part of your christmas baking this year..
17 comments:
Oh, the peanut butter one sounds delicious! I definitely want to try this soon!
Yaaaay! I love 'favorite thing' series. Your parfait is making me drool. Maybe I'll declare another 'indoor' day and make some granola for myself.
And Summer, (have I already said this a million times already?) your pictures are stunning.
Thanks for posting the recipe for your famous granola! I love granola and when Marta talked about getting a box from you months ago I wished I had it. I probably could have asked for the recipe but what fun to have it come as a early December surprise.
Yum! And I LOVE that spoon! Is it vintage?
oooh yum. such good ideas. i've been meaning to make granola forever and now i am motivated to! thanks!
I am so thankful right now for this recipe because I really love granola. This series is starting off just right :)
I love my camp's granola, too - they're very similar but mine uses honey and wheat germ instead of sugar and coconut (I'd be happy to share, but you seem very content with your recipe so I won't force it on you!)
Anyway, your parfait reminded me of a recipe I tried from smittkitchen - you might like your granola cooked with apples this way: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/10/breakfast-apple-granola-crisp/
P.S. Thanks for blogging - I find so much joy in your blog every day!
I can't wait to try this- thanks for the recipe! I tried homemade granola for the first time a couple months ago and it just tasted so bland! Thanks again- and GORGEOUS photos- as always!
The whole time I was thinking, " I really hope there is a recipe at the end!". Thank you so much for sharing! I am excited to share. As always, your photos are beautiful.
I love granola and will be trying your version! Beautiful photo!
Simple question: I really don't like coconut, so is it alright to leave that out? Any tips of what I could put as a coconut replacement?
Looks delicious... gotta try it!
@Amanda
I don't know if you'll see this but I'll give it a shot! You can leave the coconut out, but pleasepleaseplease give the original recipe a shot first. Maybe you could just try a half-batch or so? In my experience, people who don't like coconut still love camp granola and don't even notice the coconut is there! It just adds a bit of crispy, toasted sweetness.
If you gotta leave it out, I'd recommend reducing the oil a smidge.
-Elsa, one of Summer's fellow camp kitchen girls
I just tried making your granola the other night-even though I don't like coconut I added it in like someone said to try-it was the best granola I have ever made or even bought! LOVED IT! Thank you for the recipe!
What type of "oil" do you use to make your granola? And is that the same that is used at camp?
This recipe looks delicious! I've tried many of your recipes with great success...thank you Summer!
Quick question, what type of oil?
Where can I find the nutritional information for this granola? Thank you.