Every year, Olivia hosts a Fourth of July party all weekend at her family's house in the Catskills. She had most of the weekend's meals planned out, but was stuck on figuring out Saturday's breakfast — knowing that Sunday would be filled with homemade biscuits and a fish boil, she wasn't sure what to bake. Blueberry scones? Muffins? We love biscuits so much, she didn't want something too similar, and something lighter than a pastry would be nice. Finally, she hit on it: DIY granola bowls! We'd make our own granola, which is easy to whip up and takes less than an hour, and friends could choose whatever yogurt, fruit, and toppings (extra sesame seeds or coconut flakes! honey or jam!) they wanted. The recipe we used is delicious. Pro tip: it might not seem perfectly crispy when you take it out of the oven, but it'll get crunchier as it cools.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut chips
- 1 cup crushed pecans or walnuts
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix together oats, coconut, nuts, syrup, oil, sugar, sesame seeds, salt, and nutmeg. Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, for 40 minutes. Add cranberries, and bake until granola is toasted, about 10 minutes more. Let cool completely. Serve with yogurt and cherries, peaches, blueberries, strawberries coconut, honey, jam, or anything else you like!
Extra special thanks to Julie Harris and Maija Ekey for photo contributions!