One Perfect Bite: granola

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Granola Cookies

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a nice recipe to have on hand when there's granola in the pantry and you get the urge to bake cookies. I found this simple recipe on the Epicurious site and it caught my eye because the recipe lends itself to simple manipulation. I cut back a bit on the sugar and replaced some of the chips with raisins and toasted nuts. I also added maple extract and cinnamon for a bit of extra flavor. The recipe makes a nice cookie, but I must admit that good old-fashioned oatmeal cookies still hold first place in my heart. If you are in the mood to bake and would like to try something new, I think you'll enjoy these cookies. Here's how they are made.

I am sorry to be late this evening. I had trouble loading photos to blogger and it took sometime to figure out a work-around. Hopefully, everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

Granola Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 to 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1 large egg
1 cup granola
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (nuts and dried fruit can be substituted)

Directions:
1) Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Beat together butter, sugars, and vanilla in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then beat in egg until combined well. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in granola and chocolate chips.
3) Drop 18 mounds (about 2 level tablespoons per mound) of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 ungreased large baking sheets, then pat each mound into a 2 1/2-inch round.
4) Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, about 13 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Yield: 15-18 cookies.

One Year Ago Today: No-Bake Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Oatmeal Cookies

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Three Years Ago Today: Sticky Rice Cake - Nian Gao for Chinese New Year

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Homemade Granola

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I usually don't keep granola in the pantry, but I do make it when we have house guests and during Lent when it helps the Silver Fox keep his sugar cravings in check. This very simple version is easy to make and while it is high in calories, portion control and will power help keep love handles under control and make it possible for me to keep it on hand. This recipe was developed by Sara Quessenberry who co-authored The Good Neighbor Cookbook while living on the 46th floor of a high-rise in New York City. While that irony always makes me smile, her recipes are spot on and I'm really comfortable in recommending her book and the recipes she developed while working at Real Simple magazine to you. The great advantage to making your own granola is that you can control what goes into it. I like this version because it uses maple syrup rather than sugar to sweeten the oat and nut mixture. I think you'll like it, too. It will keep for up to a month if stored in an air-tight container. Here's how it is made.

Homemade Granola ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Sara Quessenberry

Ingredients:
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (preferably unsweetened)
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dried fruit (such as cherries, cranberries, raisins, or currants)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss oats, almonds, coconut, and sunflower seeds together with maple syrup, oil, and salt on a rimmed baking Sheet. Bake, tossing once, until golden and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the dried fruit and toss to combine. Let cool. Yield: 6 cups.