I thought that in the lead up to Christmas would share some of my ideas for homemade treats that can make lovely presents. One year I pledged to make EVERYTHING that I put under the tree at Christmas time but the considerable effort involved and the fact that I am no longer a student and actually have to work in the month leading up to Christmas has meant that I have altered my approach a bit.
Now I just indulge my domestic whims whenever I have a free afternoon or see something particularly delicious in the market. If there are extra jars or sweets left over then I set them aside to give away later on!
This weekend I just wanted to sit on the sofa in a blanket and watch the whole of Pride and Prejudice back to back. I knew that if that was all I achieved all weekend I would feel quite deflated at the end so I mixed up Colin Firth with some creative cooking!
First, wholesome and delicious homemade granola....
Homemade Granola
The best thing about homemade granola is that you can adjust it to make the perfect blend for you. It therefore seems a bit silly to give a list of ingredients but this should give you a good starting point.
Recipe
250g rolled oats
100g flaked almonds, roughly chopped
75g pistachios, roughly chopped
75g desiccated coconut
100g mixed seeds (pumpkin and sunflower are particularly nice)
100ml honey
2 tbsps sunflower oil
Gently heat the honey and oil in a medium deep pan until it is runny. Mix all the ingredients in so they are evenly covered in the oil/honey mixture.
Spread the mixture on a large baking tray covered in greaseproof paper and bake at 180°C until the oats start to get crunchy. Mix the ingredients throughout so they bake evenly. This should take about 30mins depending on how thickly the mixture is spread.
Take the tray out of the oven and let the granola cool before transferring it into an airtight container.
Variations
This mixture is very nutty and dense which I like. Alternatively you could make a maple and pecan version (substitute honey for maple syrup), a Christmassy cranberry and dark chocolate version, a version with dried apricots.....
Cost effectiveness
This recipe makes quite a large quantity of granola but I find it goes quite quickly! The ingredients are quite pricey but if you buy the nuts in large quantities then it is good value compared posh granola you can buy in the shops and oats and desiccated coconut can be very cheap.
Health benefits
This recipe is not low fat but is full of skin-friendly unsaturated fats from the nuts and seeds and wholesome oats and is much lower in sugar than shop bought cereals. Eat with yogurt for a healthy breakfast or snack that will keep you full for ages.
I'm going to make some more of this nearer Christmas and put some in a pretty tin for my Mum as she loves granola.
Next time I'll be telling you how to make some delicious red onion chutney and pretty Christmas cards!
Helen x
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