Ugh—Homemade Granola Recipe, Actually Worth Making.

And from a Michelin star chef.

Join me in staring at this vanilla bean ice cream scoop studded in crunchy, sweet and salted bites of pecans and oats.

Dare I say this was better than any other ice cream mix-in I’ve had from Jeni’s.

You wouldn’t know it from the photo, but a sneaky dose of olive oil perfumes every little crisp with even deeper notes of caramel. Brown sugar + olive oil = wow.

The original recipe hails from the head chef at 3 Michelin star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, where every guest who dines with them receives a jar of this granola as a gift for.

…making granola from scratch is officially just as worth making chocolate chip cookies from scratch.

My recipe below is the adapted version my brother and sister in law make on a weekly basis—and so graciously fed me in copious amounts. I sometimes wondered if I missed visiting them in Atlanta or if I missed waking up to fresh granola, homemade chia pudding, and fresh fruit at the ready.

Humble granola beginnings.

I have since made and devoured all 6 cups of this granola within a week of its birth. My go-to arrangement is a blackberry and yogurt parfait. But sprinkle this granola over chai-oatmeal, in a bowl of almond milk and fruit, on top of ice cream (PLEASE), homemade muffin tops, or just eat them with a handful dark chocolate shards for a sweet snack. Regardless of what you do with it, the recipe is so easy, and its result so delicious, that making granola from scratch is now just as worth making your chocolate chip cookies from scratch.

Recipe

My brother, Sadat, already adjusted the recipe to exclude dried fruits (not our taste). But if you’re trying to get some dates into your diet, I listed an optional step for adding them after baking the granola.

Makes 6 cups

Stuff You Need

• 9 x 13” sheet tray

• large mixing bowl

• small saucepan/pot

Ingredients

• 2 ¾ cups rolled oats

• 1 heaping cup pecans, chopped

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds

• ½ Tbsp kosher salt

• ½ cup light brown sugar

• ⅓ cup maple syrup

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 8-10 medjool dates, seeded and chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9x13” sheet tray with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, add the oats, pecans, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, and salt.

2. Add the sugar, syrup, and olive oil to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until the sugars are totally dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer the liquids to the large mixing bowl and use a wide spoon or spatula to fold everything together until all oats/nuts are coated in the syrups.

3. Transfer the granola mix to the baking sheet, patting the granola down flat across the sheet. Bake the granola for a total of 40 minutes, making sure to remove and stir the granola around once after the first 20 minutes of baking. Flatten the granola again with a spatula and bake for the remaining 20 minutes, or until the coconut flakes are light golden brown.

4. Remove the sheet tray from the oven and let the granola cool for at least 30 minutes. If using dates, sprinkle your chopped dates onto the tray of granola for an even dispersion. Store the granola in airtight containers or ziplock bags.

You deserve fancy granola greeting you every morning. I may never revert back to life without this luxury.