By Anna Davies
Pictured with almond milk and blueberries on top. But I often switch up the fresh fruit I add.
Is it possible to have an addiction to granola? I have to admit that I generally eat one bowl a day minimum. I think the beauty of granola is it’s a healthy, comfort food (as long as it isn’t too sugary of course) and it’s a good go-to option for a lot of different situations. If you are having a bad day, you can make a batch of granola at night and start the next day with a good breakfast. I often give granola as a gift for the holidays or for someone hosting us. It’s the perfect pre bike ride/ recovery food and a great start to a busy day at work. I’m never left crashing an hour later like other breakfast options. Need I say more. To me granola is the new avocado toast.
Our current recipe has a mix of chopped walnuts and almonds, but I'll often add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and spoonful of millet for an extra crunch.
I’ve been making granola for over 10 years now and I have to say, I enjoy making it almost as much as I enjoy eating it.
I would make big batches in my dad’s kitchen using his cast iron Aga cooker. I loved that I could make the recipe a little differently every time depending on the nuts, seeds and dried fruit that I wanted to add. I would often add barley malt extract as a sweetener which gives it a rich, malty flavor and makes for a great vegan option.
Giving the granola a mix halfway through baking so it toasts through evenly. Eva our Newfie (Newfoundland) loves granola too.
So when we were opening our Ritual Chocolate cafe in Park City, I wanted to have my granola recipe on the menu in some form. This time we thought it would be great with a chocolate twist, so our Chocolate Granola recipe has a tasty addition of roasted cacao nibs to give it a bit more crunch and light coating of melted chocolate for a chocolate-y kick. It’s just like the granola I used to make back on my father’s farm in England, now with some high quality cacao!
I add the roasted cacao nibs with the dried fruit after the rest of the ingredients have been toasted, as the nibs have already been roasted to a good point for flavor.
As always, you can swing by one of our cafes to pick up a bag or find it online here.
