{Tasty Tuesday: Granola Three Ways}

I'm on a mission to make the perfect homemade granola.

Before I attempt my very own version, I thought I'd follow a few recipes from other, more

experienced bakers and cooks to get a hold of the process, what works and what doesn't.

First up ... Toasted Almond Granola found on Joy the Baker, adapted from Martha Stewart.

Her recipe includes, among other things, two kinds of almonds (sliced and whole), honey

and vanilla. It was so yummy and made a totally respectable granola. I cooked it for the

recommended time, but I think it was a little too much for my oven. I'll shave ten minutes

off the cooking time when I make it again. There were too many whole almonds in it for

David's taste, but I thought it was solid.

Second ... Granola Breakfast Bars by Barefoot Contessa. This version is very similar to

the first one up until the point that Ina added three dried fruits and turned them into

bars. I thought they were great! I personally prefer the loose granola for day-to-day

eating, but the bars are fun for when you have company, are traveling or you need to

take something to someone else's house. I mean, how fun would it be to pull these out

on a road trip? They were a little hard when I first cut them (largely, I think, because I

forgot to take them out of the oven right when the timer went off), but they softened

up perfectly after a day of being wrapped in parchment.

Third ... I tried Maple-Nut Granola from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. It

was definitely the easiest granola of the three in my trial -- made with a more simplified

process and very basic ingredients. So, it took almost no time at all to put together, and

cleanup was a snap. That being said, it also had the least depth of flavor and texture. It

accomplished what granola is supposed to accomplish, but it didn't wow me. Eating it

didn't feel like a special experience, I guess. It would be a really good one to make with

kids though, and it could be easily elevated with more nuts, spices and dried fruit.

This was such a fun way to learn about making granola. Now that I've experimented with

the idea a few times, I think I'm ready to take a crack at creating my own original recipe.

I envision using all kinds of wonderful things like wheat germ, toasted pepitos, cashews,

dates, and more. Stay tuned!