Gwyneth's Favorite Granola Revisited

A group of women in Santiago Atitlan got together recently, and our theme for the evening was our “tried and true” recipes. There were many yummy dishes, but the one that stayed with me was the “favorite granola” recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow.

My husband loves granola: he would happily eat it every day. I’ve made granola before, but this revised version of Gwyneth’s granola is much simpler and, quite frankly, the best granola I’ve ever had.

The secret to this recipe is the spices. The garam masala gives it a kick you won’t find in other granolas. Never content with just an extra kick, however, I tripled the garam masala called for in the original recipe. The original version calls for maple syrup, which is super expensive here in Guatemala: I used a combination of agave and molasses instead.

I have a large stainless steam table pan that I use for roasting vegetables. (As an aside, steam table pans like this are less expensive than roasting pans, but larger and quite versatile.) It turns out this pan is also the perfect size for making a double batch of granola! I always make a double batch, and it still doesn’t last long. If you don’t have a large pan like this, a baking dish or cookie sheets will work. For a batch this size, you’ll need two baking dishes—you don’t want the granola to be spread too thick.

So I’m giving the recipe here for a double batch. I’m told it lasts a long time (over two months!) in an airtight container, but we eat it much to fast too test that. Too much for you? Just cut the recipe in half.