Maple & Fall Spice Granola

Categories From the Kitchen1 Comment on Maple & Fall Spice Granola

Fall weather is already rolling in and I am so ready to have cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger on hand for everything I bake in the next several weeks. I’m kicking off my favourite baking season with a dosage of fall spices in my favourite granola recipe. This granola is perfect for starting the day with a nice hint of fall warmth as the morning weather moves from warm to crisp to chilly. The combination of pecans, almonds, oats, pumpkin and chia seeds in this granola is my favourite combination for topping yogurt or as a bowl of cereal. Mix in a good dosage of fall spices and maple syrup, and it becomes my favourite fall breakfast (and occasional handful snack).

Pre-Bake

Aside from dusting off my stores of cinnamon and the nutmeg for the foreseeable months, this Autumn inspired granola has me excited about more than just Fall. The simple fact that I’m back in my own kitchen after a long summer away has me so inspired to try out new ideas, and get back to my old favourites. Over this summer I had the absolute privilege of living in a student rental house again, basically without a functional kitchen, and it was admittedly tough. So many times I would find myself with a free afternoon and a sudden intense need to bake something. But without my tools and ingredients, and a dingy student kitchen as my only option, inspiration certainly lacked. I forwent any creative baking projects this summer, with even making a simple dinner a task I couldn’t bring myself to do most nights. Suffice to say, I’m really excited to back in the kitchen and whipping up new and old recipes at even the slightest of whims.

This granola recipe has me excited double-fold for the start of Fall. This granola is a simple, one bowl kind of recipe that reminds me how happy I am to be back in the kitchen. And its time to start diving in to all things Fall inspo for my favourite time of year in and out of the kitchen.

Happy First Day of Fall!!

Favourite Fall Granola

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Large Flake Oats
  • 1 Cup Puffed Rice Cereal
  • 1/2 Cup Coconut Flakes
  • 1/4 Cup Chia Seeds
  • 1/3 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
  • 1 Cup Pecans (roughly chopped)
  • 1 Cup Almonds (roughly chopped)
  • 2 Tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/2 Tsp Ginger
  • 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • Pinch of Sea Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
  • 1/3 Cup Butter melted
  • 2 Tbsp Honey
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla

Feel free to add anything else you like to your granola, this just happens to be my favourite Fall combination!

Directions

  1. In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, vanilla, honey and butter until combined thoroughly.
  2. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until lightly coated. Make sure that the granola is not too wet, otherwise it will never reach the crisp, crunchy texture desired. Spread the granola out evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Be sure to pat down the granola on to the sheet so that it will bake together in to nice crunchy bites.
  3. Place in a preheated 265F oven for 45 to 55 minutes until golden brown and feels dry to the touch.
Granola Right Out Of The Oven In The Morning Sunshine

Everything Bagel ‘Cheese Buns’

Categories From the Kitchen1 Comment on Everything Bagel ‘Cheese Buns’
Cheddar & Everything Bagel Biscuits ~ As seen on Instagram @sweetsby_sandra

“I feel like baking, what should I make? What are you craving?” I always ask my family. “Cheesebuns” is always the reply. End of discussion. Though my family might complain an awwwful lot about my love of baking and the amount of sweets and carbs they ‘have to eat’ because of me, whenever I ask what I should bake, the immediate answer within a second is always “cheese buns”. I put the cheese buns in quotes because they’re actually just a classic buttermilk biscuit, which I then happen to add a considerable amount of aged cheddar to. But my brother Dennis, their biggest fan, has since given them the moniker ‘cheese buns’. The way he asks for them is something like a child ordering their donut at a bakery, no conversation or debate around it, just a snappy straight to the point request – “cheese bun”. The discussion around these little buns of joy should tell you a little bit about how good they are. A batch of twelve has been known to disappear within a day.

I Also Added Some Peppery Chives In To The Mix

Last winter when I first started working on this recipe I went through various different combinations of flour, and butter ratios and even mix ins like different aged cheeses and herbs as well. I’ve only now finally settled on the perfect recipe and chosen the best kicker in the league to drive home the extra points (I’ve been watching a lot of football sorry) and that is everything bagel seasoning.

Most bakers I’ve seen using Everything Bagel seasoning rely on Trader Joe’s ‘Everything But The Bagel’ mix, but since I’m above the Trader Joe’s border I had to get a little crafty. My version has no measuring involved, just mix-em together in a bowl goodness. Roughly equal portions of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic and onion powder and of course sea salt make up my seasoning. Once the biscuits are formed and about to go in the oven, I just give the tops a brush with (more) butter and sprinkle the seasoning generously on top, and its truly what makes these biscuits irresistible.

At the core of the recipe, is a simple buttermilk biscuit that is one of my favourite things to make at any time of the year. I find the simplicity of the ingredients that go into biscuits reinforces their position as such a classic comfort food, with rustic connotations. I rely on this recipe a lot especially at this time of year as the weather starts to change and Fall comes a knocking. I start cooking and baking as if I live in an early 19th century farmhouse with 14 family members and I’m preparing for Winter. On a more modern note, these buns are great for entertaining a crowd, say game day (??), with their buttery and flaky texture, cheesey centre and taking it over the edge, the garlicy-salty everything bagel seasoning. These biscuits are a real game winner.

Right Out Of The Oven Goodness

Cheddar & Everything Bagel Biscuits

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 Cups All purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1/2 Cup or less Whole wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp Brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Baking powder
  • 1 Tsp Baking soda
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 2/3 Cup Salted butter, Cubed
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk
  • 2 Cups Shredded Aged Cheddar
  • Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning

Everything Bagel Mix: In a small bowl mix together poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sea salt, garlic powder and onion powder.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the cold cubed butter and gently toss to first coat all the pieces in flour.
  3. Using your hands, work the butter into the dry ingredients until you have pea to almond sized bits remaining. Don’t worry about breaking up every chunk of butter completely, a range of piece sizes is okay. Add in about half of the grated cheddar and gently combine.
  4. Drizzle the buttermilk over the dry ingredients and using a spatula to gently mix until a ragged dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and fold the dough over on itself 4 times to create those flaky biscuit layers.
  5. Pat the dough out to 1 inch thick square & use a knife to slice the dough into 12 equal squares.
  6. Distribute the remaining cheddar onto your parchment lined baking sheet in the shape of a square. Place biscuits on top of the cheese. Brush the tops with melted butter & sprinkle with your everything bagel seasoning.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown in colour.