To check out: Granola Cookies with Chocolate Chips & Coconut

These look great, Meryl, thank you. Speaking of granola, how do you get it to "clump"??

I just made a batch and while it's one of my best efforts for flavor, it has absolutely no clumps, which is my favorite part. All of the oats are coated, but separate.

I'm pretty sure it's my liquid base, but please tell me what I did wrong...or can improve.

4 Cups rolled oats
4 Cups nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, roasted hazelnuts, pistachio, cashews)
2 Cups dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, gold raisins, dried apricots)
Vietnamese cinnamon

I took a 2-C Pyrex and just added by eye:
~2 TBL wildflower honey (too intensively flavored to use more)
~2 TBL pure maple syrup
~1 TBL Lyle's golden syrup (thank you, Harriet "Lost in Arizona" for introducing me to this)
~2 TBL melted butter
~2 TBL veg oil
~2 TBL orange juice

Warmed that up and drizzled it over the oat and nuts (didn't add the fruit until after baking).

Baked at 250 for 1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. It was very damp and didn't seem to dry out until the last 15 minutes. But by that time, the oats were getting dark and crunchy and I didn't want to burn it.

The flavor is fabulous and I've been doling it out by 2 TBL at a time. But I really, really wanted clumpy granola.

Any suggestions??

I thought perhaps just using the frozen orange concentrate, rather than the reconstituted liquid? That would remove some of the moisture. Does it need more fat?

 
Absolutely! Thank you. I've tried countless "purchased" granolas and inevitably

there is some flavor in it that I don't like. Might be the type of fat they use?

Pat's Queen's Granola is great too.

 
Couple of thoughts...

Try adding a beaten egg white (just until quite frothy).

Also, try not to stir it too much, which breaks down the clumps.

 
Thx 4 posting! These look mouth-watering. I cannot fathom the line the blogger wrote where she said

"I split one (I assume one cookie) with a friend, and we both thought they were FANTASTIC."

I simply cannot imagine splitting one single cookie with anyone. lol!

 
Cook's Illustrated Super Chunky Granola:

Super Chunky Granola
(from Cook’s Illustrated, March/April 2012)

1/3 C maple syrup
1/3 C packed brown sugar
4 t vanilla extract
2 t ground cinnamon
½ t salt
½ C vegetable oil
5 C old-fashioned rolled oats (do NOT use quick oats)
2 C (10 oz.) raw almonds (slivered, sliced, or chopped coarsely)
2 C (10 oz.) raisins or other dried fruit, chopped
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the oil. Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly coated. Transfer the oat mixture to the baking sheet and spread into a thin, even layer. Using a stiff metal spatula (or your hand, covered in waxed paper) compress the mixture until very compact. Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking. Remove pan from oven and cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about an hour. Break apart the cooled granola into pieces of desired size. Stir in dried fruit. Can be stored in an airtight container up to 4 weeks. Yields approx. 2 lbs (32 oz)

Step by step details
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. I use a jelly roll pan, with nice high sides, but any baking sheet with sides will do. Use a piece of parchment that’s a little larger than the baking sheet and fold in at the corners, so it fits nicely.


Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk to combine, then whisk in the oil.
Whisk to a nicely blended consistency.Blend in the oats and almonds, scraping from the bottom and stirring until thoroughly coated.
Transfer the oat mixture to the lined baking sheet.
Spread into a thin, even layer.Using a stiff metal spatula (or your hand, wrapped in waxed paper) press down and compress the mixture until very compact.
Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating pan once halfway through baking. Remove pan from oven and cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about an hour.
Gently lift and fold the parchment paper in to break apart the cooled granola into pieces of desired size.
Pour the broken granola into a large bowl, breaking into smaller chunks.

 
This is the granola recipe from Ina Garten that I use and it clumps nicely

It is much more simple than yours but we love it. I use Orange Blossom honey but I don't see why you couldn't use what ever flavorings you like. I wonder about the orange juice though. Wouldn't that cut down the "stickiness? Maybe just use the zest or extract for the flavoring if that is what you're looking for. Also, notice the dried fruit is added to the granola after it is cooked. We stopped using the fruit after a while because we just love the orange yogurt with the granola. The recipe for the yogurt is in the link. I also cut down on the amount of oil. Just didn't find it necessary. Hope something helps here.

Homemade Granola
Ina Garten
Yield: 12 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup good honey
1 1/2 cups small-diced dried apricots
1 cup small-diced dried figs
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted, unsalted cashews
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the oats, coconut, and almonds together in large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey in a small bowl. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a 13x18-inch baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, around 45 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, figs, cherries, cranberries, and cashews. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.

http://www.eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=4435

 
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