Sophia Kvochak is a friend and cooking enthusiast. After returning from the holidays, I found this granola on my desk. It was completely addicting, and within the day, I needed to know what was in it. Lucky for me, Sophia was willing to share her recipe. You can certainly replace the pepitas, dried fruit, or chocolate chunks with your own favorite ingredients, but promise me you’ll leave the slivered almonds and cardamom in— together, they’re magical.
4cupsgluten-free rolled oatssuch as Bob’s Red Mill
1cupslivered almonds
1cuppepitas
1 ½tspground cinnamon
1tspkosher salt
½tspground cardamom
¼tspground ginger
¾cupmaple syrup
½cupextra-virgin olive oil
1cupdried sour cherries or cranberries
¾cupdark chocolate chunks
Instructions
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, pepitas, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, and ginger. Add the maple syrup and oil and stir well. Spread the oat mixture evenly onto the prepared sheet and bake until golden, about 25 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through and stirring with a rubber spatula.
Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool completely. Stir in the dried cherries and chocolate, breaking up any large clumps.
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Notes
Reprinted from The Vibrant Life by Amanda Haas with permission by Chronicle Books, 2019.