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    Home / Recipes / Breakfast & Brunch

    Cardamom Honey Granola

    Published Oct 5, 2011

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    bowl of honey granola and spoon

    The first time I tasted cardamom by itself was in a coffeecake from the Moosewood Cookbook, which, like many banana slugs before me, I became obsessed with during my time at UC Santa Cruz. I dog-eared just about every other page, and baked my way through orange muffins, sunflower-millet loaves, carob brownies and strawberry rhubarb crisps. But the coffeecake remained my favorite.

    cardamom seeds

    Up until then, I had only ever had cardamom in chai, and I remember wondering if it was kosher to use it as a flavoring on its own. It felt wrong not to add cinnamon.

    honey poured onto butter in a pot

    But in the end, I obeyed Mollie Katzen and baked the coffeecake as written. Well, not really. Also like many slugs before me, I was going through an anti-wheat-and-white-sugar phase at the time, and used whole spelt and brown rice flours, and Sucanat, in place of the usual suspects. I also tucked some ripe slices of pear into the cake.

    oats and nuts in a bowl being stirred

    I left the house while the cake cooled, with a note encouraging my housemate to dive in when she got home. A large slice of cake had disappeared when I returned. Concerned about both the cardamom and the substitutions, I asked worriedly, 'Is it weird?' My housemate shook her head adamantly. 'Not at all.'

    granola

    Indeed, unlike Santa Cruz, it was not weird in the slightest, but rich and buttery, with the warm bite of copious cardamom to widen your eyes and gooey pears to make you close them again with a sigh. The crisp shower of toasted pecans and brown sugar on top sealed the deal.

    top down shot of granola on baking tray

    Now that you're probably craving buttery, spiced coffeecake (at least, I am), I will proceed to disappoint you with a mere granola recipe. But do bear in mind that this granola is not like normal granola, but rather like a crispy oatmeal cookie, laced with butter and spice.

    close up of granola

    A reader asked if she could substitute honey for the maple syrup in the original granola recipethat I posted in June of 2010, and I hesitated since honey can behave differently in baked goods, keeping things soft when, like this granola, you might want them crisp, and being sweeter than other sugars. But when I saw a bin full of 'Cardamom Crunch Granola' at Rainbow, inspiration struck. I mixed up this version, reducing the honey to 3 tablespoons, and leaving the baked granola in a low oven to further crisp it up. I also learned the hard way that pistachios can't be baked in with the granola no matter how badly I want them coated in buttery sweetness and clumped up with the rest of the oats and nuts because they will BURN. So for the next batch, I toasted the pistachios separately and added them in at the end. While I never thought I could top the original recipe, I might actually prefer this one. But only on account of being a die-hard cardamom junkie.

    granola between two baking trays

    This granola pairs wonderfully with the last of the summer fruits, should you be fortunate enough to still have berries, plums and figs growing in your neck of the woods. Or, on a chilly morning, try this with steamed milk. I enjoyed it with the most precious of raspberries, hand-picked and gifted to me by my dear friend, Amelia, and a scoop of plain, whole milk yogurt.

    granola on a baking tray

    Or you could just have coffeecake for breakfast.

    cardamom honey granola in a bowl

    Beware, though: this granola might make a cardamom junkie out of you, too. And it's a tough habit to kick.

    side shot of bowl of granola

    More Cardamom Recipes:

    • Bojon Masala Chai
    • Stone Fruit Galette with Honey & Cardamom {gluten-free}
    • Cardamom Pear Oven Pancake
    • Cardamom Snickerdoodles

    More Granola Recipes:

    • Crispy, Clumpy Granola
    • Chocolate Granola
    • Gingersnap Granola
    • Black Sesame Granola

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this cardamom honey granola recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

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    Cardamom Honey Granola

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    This homemade is perfect for breakfast...or snacking!
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total: 50 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings (3 to 4 cups).

    Ingredients

    • 2 1/2 cups whole oats (1/2 pound)
    • 1/2 cup whole, raw almonds (2 ounce)
    • 1/3 cup light brown (or unrefined sugar) (2 ounces)
    • 1 teaspoon black cardamom seeds, pulverized in a coffee grinder
    • 3 ounces unsalted butter (6 tablespoons / 3/4 stick)
    • 3 tablespoons mild-flavored honey (2 ounces)
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt (yes, 1 teaspoon)
    • 1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted (2 ounces)

    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a second rimmed baking sheet and piece of parchment ready.
    • Combine the oats, almonds, sugar, and ground cardamom together in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, honey and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour over the oat mixture, tossing to combine thoroughly.
    • Dump the mixture onto the lined baking sheet, and spread it into a thin sheet no thicker than an almond. Ideally, the edges will be slightly thicker than the center as they will bake faster. Lay the second piece of parchment over the granola, and place the second sheet pan on top, right-side up, making a little granola sandwich.
    • Slide the whole thing into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate and continue baking another 10 - 20 minutes, peeking under the parchment to make sure the edges aren't burning, until the granola is a rich golden brown. It will still be soft, but should crisp up as it cools. (If the granola is still soft after cooling, return it, uncovered, to a low oven (around 150º) and let it dry out for 20 minutes or so.)
    • Let the granola cool completely in the sheet pan sandwich, then break up into large sheets or clumps, add in the pistachios, and store in an airtight container for up to a month (or possibly more.)
    • Enjoy over fruit and yogurt for breakfast, alone for a crunchy snack, or over ice cream (saffron?) for a decadent dessert.

    Notes

    Adapted from Casey Hayden of Moose’s via Claire Legas.
    Just a heads up - the pistachios must be added at the end to the baked granola; if baked into the granola, these delicate nuts will burn before the rest of the granola has finished baking. Pistachios' mysterious flavor pairs nicely with the honey and cardamom, but you could substitute cashews (and add them with the almonds). If only whole, green cardamom pods are available, crack them open and pull out the black seeds to make a teaspoon.
    The amount of cardamom here is subtle but still noticeable.
    Nutritional values are based on one of twelve servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 198mgPotassium: 163mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1.2mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Cardamom Honey Granola

    Adapted from Casey Hayden of Moose’s via Claire Legas

    Makes 3 - 4 cups

    Just a heads up - the pistachios must be added at the end to the baked granola; if baked into the granola, these delicate nuts will burn before the rest of the granola has finished baking. Pistachios' mysterious flavor pairs nicely with the honey and cardamom, but you could substitute cashews (and add them with the almonds). If only whole, green cardamom pods are available, crack them open and pull out the black seeds to make a teaspoon. The amount of cardamom here is subtle but still noticeable.

    2 1/2 cups (1/2 pound) whole oats
    1/2 cup (2 ounces) whole, raw almonds
    1/3 cup (2 ounces) light brown (or unrefined) sugar
    1 teaspoon black cardamom seeds, pulverized in a coffee grinder
    3 ounces (6 tablespoons / 3/4 stick) unsalted butter
    3 tablespoons (2 ounces) mild-flavored honey
    1 teaspoon sea salt (yes, 1 teaspoon)
    1/2 cup (2 ounces) unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted

    Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Have a second rimmed baking sheet and piece of parchment ready.

    Combine the oats, almonds, sugar, and ground cardamom together in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter, honey and salt, stirring to dissolve the salt. Pour over the oat mixture, tossing to combine thoroughly.

    Dump the mixture onto the lined baking sheet, and spread it into a thin sheet no thicker than an almond. Ideally, the edges will be slightly thicker than the center as they will bake faster. Lay the second piece of parchment over the granola, and place the second sheet pan on top, right-side up, making a little granola sandwich.

    Slide the whole thing into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate and continue baking another 10 - 20 minutes, peeking under the parchment to make sure the edges aren't burning, until the granola is a rich golden brown. It will still be soft, but should crisp up as it cools. (If the granola is still soft after cooling, return it, uncovered, to a low oven (around 150º) and let it dry out for 20 minutes or so.)

    Let the granola cool completely in the sheet pan sandwich, then break up into large sheets or clumps, add in the pistachios, and store in an airtight container for up to a month (or possibly more.)

    Enjoy over fruit and yogurt for breakfast, alone for a crunchy snack, or over ice cream (saffron?) for a decadent dessert.

    top down shot of granola

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hallie Fae says

      October 10, 2011 at 2:38 pm

      Yum. I've made granola before, but this looks like a great recipe. (and fabulous pictures!)

      Reply
    2. Alanna says

      October 10, 2011 at 3:51 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Samantha says

      October 13, 2011 at 4:17 am

      You've made a cardamom junkie out of me. :) This is the best granola I've ever had! Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Alanna says

      October 13, 2011 at 4:23 am

      So glad to hear it - you're very welcome!

      Reply
    5. M. Gainey says

      April 15, 2014 at 5:57 pm

      This granola chunked up nicely and has a great sweet-salty taste. Definitely a keeper.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        April 15, 2014 at 6:18 pm

        Awesome - I'm so glad you like it!

        Reply

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