Jamie’s Granola Dust

The secret ingredient for this month’s I Heart Cooking Clubs challenge is granola. I’ve decided to try Jamie Oliver’s Granola Dust and use it to bulk up my mornings.

Jamie Oliver is rightly concerned with the amount of sugar in our diet, especially in food that is consumed by children. You’ll find Granola Dust in his book Everyday Super Food and here on YouTube.

That’s not to say there’s no sugar in granola dust– dried fruits are used as sweeteners– but since you’re making your own, you decide how much is allowed. And that’s the point, really. Food manufacturers aren’t shy about adding fats, sugars and salts to their products. Those particular flavors stimulate pleasure centers in the brain and keep us buying. You probably already know you can drastically reduce the amounts at home and get satisfying results.

In addition to no added sugars, there’s also no added fats which makes granola dust something that can be made in bulk and stored in a cool part of the pantry as long as you eat it within a few weeks, otherwise it can be kept in the freezer.

I’ve scaled down the recipe to suit two people and yielded about 4 cups of dust when all was said and done. There’s no real guidelines although my ratio was about 2 parts oats to 1 part everything else. Feel free to use what you have on hand and to adjust the amounts to suit your tastes.

Jamie's Granola Dust

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Servings: 4 cups

Author: LydiaF

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole oats not quick cooking
• generous handful mixed nuts I used a mix with almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts
• generous handful mixed seeds I used a blend with sunflower, pumpkin, flax and chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coffee
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
• pinch salt optional if using salted nuts
• zest of an orange
• generous handful dried fruit I used a trail mix with banana chips, dried mangos and coconut flakes

Instructions

• Toast the oats, nuts and seeds in a 350F/180C oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Allow to cool then mix in the other ingredients.
• Working in batches, grind everything up in a food processor and transfer the dust to a sealable container or jar.
• Store in a cool dry place if using within a week, or freeze for longer storage.

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To serve, mix one or two generous spoonfuls directly into yogurt or a smoothie. To make the bowl shown in the photos, place some granola dust in the bottom, spoon about a cup of yogurt on top, then arrange whatever fruit you have on hand.

One its own, granola dust isn’t particularly exciting. It smells good, but it’s a little bitter due to the coffee and cocoa. It lent a nice crunchy contrast to the creamy Greek yogurt and the fruit. I’m thinking granola dust would work really well anywhere you’d use chopped nuts. Like a crust for cream cheese balls or truffles, or as a sprinkle for fruit.

The cocoa and coffee flavors aren’t overwhelming so it might even work with tofu or chicken (you could make the dust without them, too…useful for those who looking for gluten free alternatives for breadcrumbs). I’ll let you know.

I’m sharing this post with the bloggers at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Drop by to see what other granola creations they’ve chosen to share.