Earl Grey Granola, Introduction
The Earl Grey Granola recipe guarantees a delicious meal, just as the name suggests. Some people have such ingrained routines that they eat the same thing every day, poop at the same time, and overall lead orderly lives. I can’t do it, but I appreciate that. After listening to this episode of my favorite podcast, Hidden Brain, I can’t stop expressing that I need foods to “sparkle.” For example, I might eat breakfast tacos one morning, oats the next, then a huge apple fritter the day after.
I’m a granola lover and a wannabe Ann Arbor crunchy hippy. However, because it’s so pricey, I won’t get it from the store. Homemade, of course. Additionally, I adore the way it appears in a jar on my counter as if I were someone who would never put a bag of Fritos on my lips in order to eat the last few crumbs. Although roasting pears is a stylish addition to Justine’s granola recipe, I’m really here for the crispy oats, which are covered in a butter scented with Earl Grey that smells like freshly baked cookies. It’s comforting and subdued, like an English grandmother’s embrace. I eat it as a late-night cereal with milk or with yogurt and fruit.
Earl Grey Granola with Roasted Pears Ingredients
Note: Since I’ve only made it a few times, I’ve discovered that the recipe is rather adaptable, so I do alter it depending on what I have on hand. Here is Justine’s original recipe with my brief italicized additions; feel free to take or leave them.
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Eight tablespoons of salted butter
Two tablespoons of loose-leaf tea, ground in a spice grinder, or two Earl Grey teabags
Three midsize Bosc pears, cored and cut in half
Two cups of classic rolled oatmeal
Half a cup of flaxseed meal
Half a cup of pumpkin seeds
Two teaspoons of hemp hearts (I realize that’s not an equal quantity, but it works, okay? I substitute one cup of pecans. I adore nuts.
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon and kosher diamond salt
Two teaspoons of vanilla extract
⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
One huge egg white
Your preferred milk to serve
How to Make Earl Grey Granola with Pears
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and place two racks in equal distances.
2. Put the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Tear open the tea bags, add the tea leaves, and swirl to mix after the butter has completely melted. Reduce the heat to low and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, as the mixture will start to bubble a little. Take the pan off of the burner.
3. Lay two pear halves cut side up on a piece of aluminum foil. Making sure the foil is not cut or punctured, sprinkle 1 spoonful of the Earl Grey butter mixture over the cut edges and fold them into a packet. Place them on the oven’s lowest rack and bake for half an hour.
Spicing Up
4. Put the oats, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt in a big bowl. After adding the honey and vanilla to the bowl, thoroughly whisk in the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter mixture. (If the mixture looks rather sloppy, add up to ½ cup more oats and all of the butter if you’re not cooking the pears; you want it covered, not sopping wet.)
5. Whisk the egg white in a bowl until foamy. Add the whisked egg white to the bowl with the granola mix and stir to coat everything evenly.
6. With parchment paper, line a sheet of pan then spread the granola on the sheet. Transfer to the top rack of the oven to bake until golden brown and dry to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. (Because my oven runs hot and burnt granola is a costly mistake, I mix after 15 minutes and make sure to check on everything at the 25-minute mark.)
7. Top each bowl with half a pear, a generous scoop of granola, and a splash of milk to serve. Any leftover buttery pear juice in the foil can be drizzled over; it will dot on top of the milk, which is quite delightful.
8. You may keep any leftover granola from this recipe for up to a week in a cool, dry location.