It’s been a while, but it’s my pleasure to re-introduce my favorite guest blogger, who made a few past appearances in the Bewitching (remember guacamole?). My beloved husband, who at age 21 was almost as handsome as he is today, shares with you his recipe for the best granola ever! It pains me to admit it comes from a former girlfriend, but chances are I bake a better bread, and play a much meaner round of golf. So, there! 😉
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We spent part of our winter holiday in Sedona, AZ, where we enjoyed one of the local stores, the New Frontiers Natural Marketplace. Still, I nearly choked on the price of some of their whole grain cereals: $13 or more for a pound of granola. It convinced me to get off my ass and make my own granola, so here’s my recipe from the golden age of peace and love: 1973.
We lived in a big Green House on Capitol Avenue in Lansing, MI, and this recipe became a staple of our diet. It’s where me and Dave (together in the picture), Jimmy, Al and Joey spent a few years, chasing girls, cooking for each other, and listening to great music on Dave’s JBL speakers. I was 21 and dating Susie, who made the best granola anywhere, from Ann Arbor to Bloomington to Madison.
For us it was a golden age, of optimism, exploration, righteousness, liberation and natural foods. When you put together the ingredients for this recipe you’ll understand (and embrace) the meaning of “grain brain.” Nothing’s better than this kind of natural food. Once you make it and have a morning bowlful, you may never return to the preposterous prices of commercial granola. The cost of this recipe has at least tripled in the nearly 4 decades I’ve made it, from about $10-12 to near $40 per batch, but it makes about 15 pounds, bringing the cost to a more realistic $2.50 per pound. Cost aside, the granola’s flavor is unforgettably nutty and hearty, and the beauty of the recipe is its flexibility: you can change it in whatever way you want to customize the cereal. Want a gluten-free version? Then skip the wheat germ and use oat bran instead. Don’t care for walnuts? Use pecans instead. Allergic to peanuts? Substitute sunflower oil for the peanut oil. I usually add raisins and chopped dates, which are excellent, to the baked granola, but in this batch I added dried cranberries and banana chips for a change of pace. Or leave out the banana chips and eat a bowl with fresh banana slices. Mmmmm, that’s good!
Now, this is not a low-fat granola. It’s a natural, whole-grain mix that gives you a mouthful of rich flavors in every bite. To control the calories, just eat less (which you may find difficult!).
GOLDEN AGE GRANOLA
(from PEK)
Ingredients
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large (huge) pan or bowl:
3 pounds rolled oats
1 pound raw wheat germ
1 pound chopped walnuts
1 pound other chopped nuts (hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds or a mixture)
1 raw, chopped coconut (water drained and reserved)
1 pound sunflower seeds
1 pound pepitas
1 pound brown sugar
2. Mix the wet ingredients in a large (½ gallon) container:
water from the coconut
2 cups hot water
1 cup peanut oil
1 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup (or, use whichever of these sugars you prefer in the proportion you desire)
2 T vanilla
Heat the oven to 325 F. Mix the dry ingredients very well in a large roasting pan or a huge bowl. Whip the wet ingredients with a whisk or fork and pour half of it over the dry ingredients. Mix well and then pour the remainder of the wet ingredients over the batch. Mix very well with a large spoon, making certain that all the materials become uniformly moistened. Spread the cereal on cookie sheets, about 3/4 in thick, and bake for 45 – 60 min, turning with a spatula every 15 min. Let the granola cool, combine the baked batches and add some dried fruits: raisins, dates, apricots, cranberries, blueberries or banana chips … your choice, about 1.5 pounds. Store the cereal in a large, airtight tin or vac-pack it in 1-2# pound portions.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Some photos of the process (click on the pictures to enlarge)…
The ingredients…
Mixing the dry ingredients…
Draining and chopping the coconut…
Chopping the nuts…
Mixing dry and wet ingredients…
Baking, turning, and cooling… the final stretch!
ONE YEAR AGO: Mushroom Souffle for Two
TWO YEARS AGO: Stollen
Bewitching Kitchen 
Wow, look at all the stuff in that granola! Sesame oil. Molasses. Fresh coconut. Who’d a thunk it?
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The coconut works wonders – there’s not a lot of it, so when you bite into a piece, the taste comes through clearly.
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Hello, Phil! Nice to see your post, you are indeed a natural blogger, how about starting a golfing blog? With Sally taking more pictures of your beautiful swing 😉
Quite a big batch of granola, I am sure it is a great weekend project and then you get to enjoy it for a long time
the fresh coconut is a great addition
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Well, not sure he will become a blogger, but he is writing a book on the golf swing, and it’s turning out pretty nice!
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Sounds far out and way bitchin’, Phil! Question: did they HAVE agave nectar in 1973?
I’ll wear my tie-dye headband and my rose-colored granny glasses when I make it.
Thanks!
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I will answer that for you…. Nope, no agave nectar in 1973, that is an adaptation he made after marrying a certain blogger. So, yeah, I got to influence the recipe of the “girlfriend”
TOUCHE’!
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Now that’s a granola – thanks for sharing!
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You are welcome!
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This must be the best tasting granola!! Look at all those ingredients and the wet ingredients certainly makes this taste amazing. Sweet, sticky, flavorful, I’d probably never be able to stop eating this!!!
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I must say it IS awesome! WHenever Phil makes it, I need to stock up the pantry, but it’s worth it 😉
I like to grab just a tiny amount late at night, before going to bed – it’s the kind of granola that tastes great even without anything. But in the morning I have it with nonfat yogurt. Fantastic… (I am not fond of granola with milk)
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I love that shot of the big pot of granola, love that pot too. Great post and recipe too.
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It’s the same huge pot I use to generate steam when I bake bread… one pot, endless uses! 😉
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Ah, the 70s… golden age of peace and love and plenty of ‘happies’ in between 😉 – It’s still my favourite music era too! Phil, Susie Q or not, this granola is spectacular! Fantastic ingredients and how about the quantity… does it last a year or two? 🙂 Love the photo from the Green House and the title “Golden Age Granola” ~ wonderful, nostalgic piece. Loved it!
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He might just take over my blog, I can see…
I loved his post too…
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Nice one, Phil! There’s a wonderful mix of dried fruits in there and I’m curious to know – did you use agave syrup in the 1970s? I thought it was a new product, but it certainly sounds appropriate to the hippie blend! 🙂
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Celia, Phil must thank yours and truly for introducing agave nectar to him. Ms. Susie Q could not have done it, as indeed it was not around at that time 😉
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Adore the pic! Maybe Susie will stumble across your blog if she googles granola in search of ideas to tweak the recipe.
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WOuldn’t that be something? Phil has no idea where she is, or what happened to her. He resists (bravely, I should add) to joining Facebook, so it’s a little trickier to get in touch with old acquaintances.
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This is the first of Phil’s posts I’ve had the pleasure to read and what a fun one it is! I love a good granola – especially with some fresh fruit tossed on there – the banana sounds wonderful! And Sally – I have no doubt you bake a better bread. 😉
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Hummmmm…… you made no reference to my golf game…. I guess that might mean something….
😉
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I really dislike coconut. How much water is there in a coconut if I wanted to replace the liquid with something else?
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Steven, you will get between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup of water from a coconut, so just add that amount of water.
Susie’s original recipe already listed coconut as optional, as not everyone loves it, so you are NOT alone! 😉
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adorei a postagem, fotos, famtastico, meu marido gosta muito de granola, acho que vou sugerir esta receita.
by the way, a receita do brigadeiro já está no pitangas, pic do avião, soon. bjs
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Obrigada pela dica, fui la’ e vi a receita, parece que e’ algo super popular agora pelo patropi afora! Se eu achar os tais copinhos vou fazer para a proxima festinha em casa ou no labo.
aguardo a foto do hidroaviao!
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Hey Sally (and Phil!)~
Just a quick ‘thank you’ to Phil for sharing his Golden Age Granola recipe on your site. I made the recipe a few weeks ago and it was so yummy. The recipe makes a huge amount but it was gone immediately. No, I didn’t eat it all myself! After having friends and family sample the granola, they were all begging me for more. I packaged the gifted granola in small Ball/Mason jars, which are perfect for keeping the granola air-tight and providing a cute display option at the breakfast area. The only difficulty I had was (1) finding an abundant variety of preservative-free dried fruits and (2) cracking open that %$#@&* coconut! Whew, that was a real work-out. However, 3 batches later, I have found many of the preservative-free fruits (locally and online) and the coconut thing is now pretty much perfected. Although, I do tend to eat much of the coconut before it goes into the granola – fresh coconut is so much better than anything you can purchase. Using a vegetable peeler works wonders for getting the coconut pieces shaved to just the right size.
Again, many thanks to Phil for providing this great recipe and to you for sharing time and talent from your very, very busy life. You are now my ‘go-to’ link for those last minute “what’s for dinner tonight, honey?” inquiries. Also, congrats on your new jobs and good luck in your new home.
Desejo a vocês todo o sucesso em sua nova casa e da comunidade. Que a sua mesa sempre cercada com a alegria da família, amigos e boa comida.
Fondly,
Sobai
BTW – The focaccia is also amazing – quick, easy and delicious. I set it out with some pesto and oil dipping sauce and it was gone before the dinner ever got to the table!!!
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Your comment made my day, my month, my year, and my decade! That is how nice it was to read it! It came at the perfect time too, I am so stressed with this move, all I wanted to do was crawl under some dark and cozy place and forget about it all 😉
I showed your comment to Phil, he is soooo happy!
thanks for the feedback and wonderful comment, we do appreciate it!
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Hi Sally,
My pleasure to send the much deserved kudos your way! Hopefully, by now, you’ve unpacked the essentials and will be relaxed enough to just kick back and wile away the upcoming holiday. Enjoy the 4th of July ~ shoes off, lazing in a shade covered hammock and with a favorite mojito or sangria in hand!
Fondly,
Sobai
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