Berry Nut Chocolate Intense Granola

  

I love my morning granola or muesli! My jars at home are usually almost always filled with either a muesli or granola blend I make at home. I know I am not alone when I say that homemade muesli or granola always hits home with me.  

I usually get asked the question about the difference between granola and muesli, especially from my European friends. The concept of granola is still new to most of them and when I send them little jars (or in some cases very large jars) filled with my latest granola mix they are extremely amazed at how the same breakfast concept and be so different.

The difference lies basically in how each is prepared. While both granola and muesli share many similarities the two are not interchangeable. Besides having different origins, they also have different ingredients and preparing methods.

Muesli is the European counterpart to the American granola and was developed by Dr. Bircher-Benner, a Swiss nutritionist towards the end of the nineteenth century. Granola, on the other hand, was developed in the United States also in the nineteenth century by Dr. James Caleb Jackson at the Jackson Sanitarium in New York.

When it comes to the ingredients, while both contain a mixture of grains, like oats or spelt flakes, nuts, and dried fruit, granola usually has honey and oil, which is then toasted in the oven, giving it that typical crisp texture and sweeter flavor. Muesli relies mostly on the fresh fruit you add for the sweetness.

While I love muesli, I tend to lean slightly more towards my beloved granola. I love the delicious crispy clumps of oats, seeds and berries all toasted to a wonderful golden color and coated with the sweet glaze of honey or maple syrup. Muesli has no chance against that!

I tend to go through my muesli days too though, when the flakes soak up the milk and the fresh fruit add their subtle and sweet fruity flavors – it does give me the perfect balanced start to my day.

What are you a muesli or a granola person?

Soeren has definitely inherited my taste buds for granola. I dare not even come near him with the muesli creations – even the ones with chocolate! So we make lots of granola together and come up with some very great creations. 

This one is a recent favorite we made. I love the nuttiness of spelt and usually use these in muesli and granola. There are cashews, dried cherries and cranberries, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds and the honey gives it the perfect sweetness. The best however is the pinch of fleur de sel and the big chunks of dark chocolate flavored with a hint of orange. Granola Intense!

Berry Nut Chocolate Intense Granola

Printable version of recipe here

Ingredients

300g rolled spelt flakes
100g cashew nuts 
200g clear honey
3 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
140g mixed dried berries
50g sunflower seeds
50g poppy seeds
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped. I used Lindt Dark Chocolate Orange Intense 
pinch of fleur de sel

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
   
   
2. Heat honey and oil together in a large pan until the mixture begins to boil. Tip in the spelt flakes, cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, fleur de sel and cinnamon and stir well until the oats are well coated. Spread out on the baking tray, spreading the mixture out evenly. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring with a spatula, about halfway through.
   
   
3. Remove from the oven and immediately add the berries and chocolate and stir into the mixture. Spread the mixture out on the baking tray again and press down with a spatula and allow to cool. This helps the granola to clump together.
   
   
4. Allow to cool completely, then place in airtight containers. It will last for 3 weeks if stored in a cool dry place. Serve with yogurt and fresh fruit or use in desserts.

 

 

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Verdict

 

A big jar made it’s way to Zürich recently, unfortunately something happened and it did not reach my sweet recipient in the same quality I sent it off in. I blame the Swiss post for sabotaging my granola. I’ll try with muesli next time, maybe it’ll work better ;o)

It’s the little things that make the granola great. In this case I love the addition of the poppy seeds and the sunflower seeds. It rounds up the entire granola perfectly. The perfect part is of course the orangey flavored chocolate, which adds a beautiful note to the nuttiness of this granola.

Enjoy it with your favorite fruit and berries for a sensational start to your day. Soon I’ll also be posting an awesome dessert for breakfast I made using this granola so heads up to you all. And sure you can have dessert for breakfast! You don’t? Well then stay tuned and I'll show you how!

Granola galore on WFLH:

Granola Bars - Four Grain Very Berry Pistachio Nut	Granola Goji Muffins	Nutty Amaranth Granola with Fresh Berries

 

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