Tropical Fruit Granola

Let me begin by telling you, and this has absolutely nothing to do with granola, that last night we watched When Harry Met Sally - for the umpteenth time I might add, but there was not much else on and it's one of those movies that's always worth another watch, if only for the fake orgasm scene in Katz's Deli.  Anyways, it disturbed me as I was watching to realise that during the course of the 80s and 90s I wore every single one of the hair-dos Sally paraded in the movie - many of them cringe-worthy when I look back.

Such are the things we do over the years as we struggle to develop our personal style - or certainly so it was for me.  Took me I think the best part of 48 years to really get comfortable in my own skin, and to realise what my own style was without trying to make myself look good in someone else's.

Breakfast is like that.  I know all the rhetoric, which is no doubt backed up by plenty of sound nutritional research, about breakfast being the most important meal of the day.  I'm well acquainted with the expression "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper".  And, I've spent many years trying to follow that advice.  But the reality is that I am just not a breakfast person - not even a morning person, in fact.  The truth is that given the choice I prefer not to rise to a vertical position before 10 am at the earliest, and midday is ideal.  Of course, there are jobs to go to and languishing between the sheets till noon is not always an option.  But no matter how early I do get up I generally like a lapse of a couple of hours to pass between the bed and the breakfast table, by which time of course it often is pretty much lunch time.

Then, of course, the dilemna arises of what to eat - lunch or breakfast.  French toast (check out my Chocolate Panettone French Toast Sandwiches and Caramelised French Toast with Raspberry Compote) and pancakes are popular choices, as is this granola.  Work day mornings, I will on rare occasions scarf down a slice of toast and marmalade before racing out the door, but I'm just as likely to skip breakfast, throw a couple of handfuls of this granola into a tub and take it to work with me for lunch.

This granola is a breeze to make, better than anything you will pick up at the supermarket, cheaper and minus the fat too, and it's loaded with nuts and tropical fruit.  I like to use cashews and almonds, along with cranberries, apricots, figs, dates, mango and papaya, but really you can use any combination you like.  Hope you give this a try I know you won't be disappointed.

Tropical Fruit Granola Recipe

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

6 cups rolled oats

1 cup almonds

1 cup cashew nuts

(you can substitute these with 2 cups of any nuts or seeds that you like - pecans, walnuts, macadamias, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds would all be good)

1 cup shredded coconut

(go for long thread or even better flaked coconut - avoid dessicated)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

generous pinch of salt

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 cups dried fruit of your choice

(cranberries, figs, dates, cherries, papaya, apricots, mango, pears, peaches, raisins, sultanas are all good - cut larger fruit into smaller pieces)

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C (300 degrees F).

Put the rolled oats into a large bowl.  Add the nuts, coconut, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Pour the honey, agave nectar and maple syrup over the dry ingredients and using your hands mix everything together well.

Spread everything out in a thin layer in a shallow baking tray (you may need to use a couple of trays), and put into the preheated oven.  Bake until golden brown.  This will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how "toasty" you like it, but keep in mind that it will continue cooking after you take it out of the oven, so take care not to over do it.  Give it a bit of a stir every 10 minutes during cooking.

Once toasted to your liking remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Add your dried fruit and mix well, then transfer to an airtight container for storage.

I sometimes also throw in a handful of yoghurt covered raisins at this stage, and would even consider chocolate coated raisins or peanuts acceptable inclusions for an indulgent treat.

I can enjoy this as a wee snack, by the handful, straight out of the jar, or eaten on its own simply moistened with a bit of fruit juice (personally not too fussed on milk).  It is also great with fresh or stewed fruit, and some Greek-style natural yoghurt.  You could even use this to make your favourite granola bars.

I sharing this post with Sweet New Zealand, a monthly blog event created by the very lovely Alessandra Zecchini, and which this month is hosted by After Taste. This is an opportunity for all Kiwi bloggers (whether you are living in New Zealand or overseas), as well as for non-Kiwi bloggers living in New Zealand, to connect and share some of those sweet treats from your kitchen.  So, head on over and share something sweet.

I'm also sharing this at Foodie Fridays hosted by Designs by Gollum.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Now, I would be the first to tell you that these are not going to win any beauty contests.  That said, what they lack in looks, they more than make up for in taste.  This week is our monthly Pot Luck at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we continue to cook with Giada de Laurentiis, and I'm bringing these Peanut Butter Granola Bars to the party.  Once word gets out about the deliciousness lurking behind that rather unattractive looking facade, these little bars will be wallflowers no more.

These have loads of texture - oats, slivered almonds and chunks of chocolate - only just held together with peanut butter, honey and brown sugar (all of which add their own flavour notes).  When Deb at Kahakai Kitchen made these a few weeks ago, she mentioned that she had issues with crumbling, and as she discovered so did many others who commented on the original recipe.  Many people offered all sorts of advice to resolve that - less of this, more of that, etc - but there also seemed to be nearly as many people who didn't have problems.  Lacking the baking savvy (I've told you that before) to start tinkering with the recipe, these sounded good enough to me to risk a bit of "crumblage", so I decided to stick to the original recipe first time around.

The only changes I made to the recipe were:  firstly, I didn't bother pre-toasting the almonds - just seems like a bit of an unnecessary step to me;  secondly, I used a slightly smaller tin than that which was suggested (because that was what I had), so my bars are a little bit thicker than is perhaps intended - not necessarily a bad thing;  and thirdly, and this was more by accident than design, was the cooking time.  The recipe says, "Bake ...... 15 minutes.  Remove from oven ..... cool ... 1 hour."  My mind read "bake for 1 hour", and into the oven it went.  At 30 minutes things were smelling very toasty, and I went to turn it around in the oven - my oven doesn't brown evenly, and everything has to be turned around about half way through cooking.  At this stage, I thought "if this cooks for another 30 minutes it will be burnt to a crisp!"  That was when I read the recipe properly.  So my bars ended up with 30 minutes of baking instead of 15, which I think did firm them up quite a bit.  After cooling at room temperature for about an hour, I then refrigerated for a couple more hours before cutting.  End result - a little bit crumbly, but not too bad.  I have found it necessary to keep them in the fridge though - as soon as they are left out of the fridge for a bit they start to crumble a bit more.  Incidentally, these will not be dry and crisp as you might expect from a granola bar, but are actually more moist and soft - ever so slightly cakey - again, not necessarily a bad thing.

Can't help myself - I have been eating these for breakfast every morning.  What?  Don't raise your eyebrows at me.  This is cereal, nuts, peanut butter, honey, and egg - how is that not breakfast?

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Adapted from recipe by

Giada de Laurentiis

Makes 16-24 bars (depending on size of tin)

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

vegetable cooking spray

1 egg white (save the yolk for mayonnaise)

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).

Spray a 18cmx27cm (7x10-3/4 inch) (I used a 20cm (8 inch) square) non-stick baking tin with cooking spray.  Line with baking paper, allowing excess paper to extend beyond edges of the tin, and spray the paper lightly with cooking spray - don't be tempted to leave this out.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until frothy.  Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar and honey.  Add the melted butter, rolled oats and slivered almonds.  Stir to combine everything, and then stir in the chocolate chips.

Tip the mixture into the prepared baking tin, and spread out, pressing lightly to form an even layer.  Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown - about 15 minutes (I baked for 30 minutes).  Remove from the oven, cool for at least an hour, then refrigerate for another 2-3 hours, before cutting into squares.

Store in the refrigerator.

Interested in getting to know Giada a bit better?  Then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all been cooking up ....

.... or check out Giada's Kitchen and many of her other titles, available from Amazon, Book Depository UK and Fishpond NZ