You may be surprised when I tell you that this treat was the first to disappear off the dessert table. Gone. All of it.
My friend and fellow food blogger Erin of Erin’s Food Files offered to bring this addictive snack as soon as I revealed the theme of the party. And while it wasn’t shocking green like the rest of the desserts, the olive oil flavor really shines through. The granola was a welcome salty escape from the sea of lime green sugar.
What Erin has to say about it:
I was thrilled when Lindsay invited me to her L&OO 5 year celebration, and honored when she asked if there was anything I wanted to contribute. I immediately knew I wanted to share this Olive Oil Granola, because it fit the “theme”. Plus, it has been referred to as “crack” by people I have shared it with, so I knew I wasn’t alone in liking it!
I like to say it was a fortunate mistake that this was the first granola I ever made. I was knocked away at how amazing it tasted. While I have tried a handful of other granola recipes since that first fateful occasion, and they’ve all been good, they pale in comparison to this recipe. It’s like your first time on an airplane, you fly in a private jet. And so, I’ve made this many times, each time doing something a little different. Sometimes I’ve used all honey, sometimes I’ve used all maple syrup, for the batch I took to Lindsay’s I used both, and a touch of sorghum too. I also added dried apricots & pepitas to that batch as well. The olive oil and salt are what really set this apart from other recipes. The olive oil adds a rich full bodied flavor, and the salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors. The cardamom adds an extra “hmm… what is this?” flavor, so don’t skip the cardamom!
Olive Oil Granola
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cups raw pistachios, hulled & coarsely chopped
1/3 raw sunflower seeds, hulled
1/4 cup pepitas
1/2 cup coconut flakes (sweetened or unsweetened, your preference)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon + 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries
1/3 cup dried apricots coarsely chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pepitas, coconut flakes, maple syrup, honey, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.
Transfer granola to a large bowl and add dried cherries & apricots, tossing to combine. Serve atop greek yogurt, fresh ricotta, or anything you’d like.
Recipe from Erin’s Food Files
All images and text ©Lindsay Landis / Love & Olive OilDid you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
Leave a Comment below or share a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #loveandoliveoil.
I have to tell you this is the best , everyone in my family, niece, aunts, great aunts, mom and pop, sister , love this stuff. We make it by the double batch
Try it with pecans, instead of pistachios, Dad had a few pecan trees (12). also
love it plain , on yogurt, and ice cream , so delicious! thanks for the recipe and love your blog
As I was searching for this recipe, the identical one came up from Melissa Clark of the New York Times (circa 2009). So it seems that Erin owes one to the NYT. The bottom line is it’s amazing!
In the oven now…looks and smells amazing! Never would have thought to use olive oil – thanks for the recipe!
This was the best granola I’ve ever tasted! The cardamom brings out the other flavors. Thanks!
I recently made home made granola and decided it was a total winner – very similar recipe and utterly divine! Gorgeous pics and stunning lay out! x
What a beautiful table. Green is great! I’m also an avid user of olive oil.
Just made this today and oh my gosh, it’s delicious! (My boyfriend was eating it by the handfuls :-) Very easy to make and I pretty much had all of the ingredients in my cupboard already. Thanks for sharing!
I loooove homemade granola and have a few go-to recipes that I love. But since this one has been described as “crack”, I think I have to try it. Can’t wait!
I’ve already heard how fabulous this granola is from mutual friends – I’m definitely making it. It looks fantastic.
Like that it is delicious but if you add some chocolate… Yummy!
Sounds fantastic. wonderful photos.
Wow, this sounds spectacular! I love granola and just ran out, I’ll probably try this recipe to replenish my stash. Not surprised that it was the first to disappear from the table (which is stunning, by the way) :)
Love granola, especially on yogurt!
Beautifully designed dessert table… p.s. Pinterest brought me here… enjoying your blog!
Oooh I’ve never made granola before, but this seems like a great travel snack!
This sounds wonderful! And I’m totally not surprised this went first. I’m such a sucker for granola!
I’ve been looking for a good granola recipe and this looks just perfect – I love that it uses olive oil! Thanks both of you!
I’ll give it a try. I have most of those things in my pantry now. Love Erin!
Just what I was looking for. A granola recipe without all the oil. Thank you.
I love granola. I eat it most days with yoghurt for breakfast-yummy!
I love granola and always like seeing what everyone’s go-to recipes are!
Love homemade granola…this is perfect!
I’m not surprised at all (well ok, maybe a bit, I probably would have headed for one of your amazing cakes) – this looks wonderful. I’ve never thought to use olive oil in granola – definitely going to try!
The hubs has been begging me to make him some homemade granola, and this one totally fits the bill! Thanks for sharing!
I love a granola recipe that’s different than the millions of others floating around the internet. Thanks for sharing!
i was lucky enough to taste this granola – plus grab a stash to take home – and it is one of the best tasting granola recipes i’ve ever had.
Looks delish-love to try it!!!!!
Oh, this looks glorious. I would adore this with Greek yogurt!
Looks delish! I love when people offer to bring something over! Also, I’m loving the addition of coconut in this granola recipe. I’ll have to give that a shot next time I make a batch.
Oh yum! I’ve just ordered the ingredients not already in my cupboard and am going to make it next weekend. Absolutely adore granola.
Cardamom has always been my secret ingredient in homemade granola, and I’m excited to try the olive oil and salt, i think that’s brilliant. Fun party!
Yeah, it is absolutely a Granola kind of Monday! Nice treat for your party and for everyday of the week. Pretty yummy looking.
Ooooo, I WANT.
Looks amazing- love to try it!
Total yum! I am such a granola freak and this recipe sounds wonderful and I love the green color! Everything looks so beautiful!