oh my... granola!

Coconut Granola

• 8 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup oat bran
• 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup barley malt syrup or maltose syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com and is fabulous... I did not have any malt syrup and intended to substitute agave nectar but I didn't have enough so it was a little agave and a lot of honey. Turned out amazing... really. My husband wants two batches for his hunting trip this fall.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, stir together the oats, oat bran, coconut and almonds. Divide between two large baking sheets, and spread into an even layer.
2. Bake for 7 or 8 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly toasted. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then return to the large bowl.
3. While the oats are toasting, combine the coconut milk, coconut oil, vegetable oil, malt syrup and honey in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until it comes to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla. Pour the syrup over the granola in the bowl, and stir until the dry ingredients are fully coated. Divide between the two baking sheets, and spread evenly.
4. Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fragrant and toasted. Cool in the pans, then mix in the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Popovers - February Daring Bakers Challenge

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

I used a very simple recipe from allrecipes.com:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

They came out very pretty and tasting hot and yummy, but disappointingly plain. I have a recipe for chocolate popovers somewhere... I plan to find it!!!

Trail Mix Bark

Art? Maybe... Leftovers? Definitely! This is what happens when you have left over trail mix and chocolate.

Almond Biscotti Deliciousness

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and modified it for my preferences:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
•   2teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup almonds, chopped

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, almond extract. Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the wet. Form into two logs about 4 in wide, 12 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then slice, turn on the side and bake again for another 10 minutes. It really helps to slice the logs with a pastry scraper.