Honey Pumpkin Granola Cookies

Remember that Chocolate Chip Almond Granola from Sunday?? Sure ya do. Can you believe that I managed not to eat the entire batch? I’m so proud of myself. 🙂 I had an entire carton left over with just enough to make these little goodies. However, I’m not sure what I was more excited about – the cookies or the chance to try my New Zealand Kamahi honey. The cookies were yummy, yes, but the honey? Amazing.

Kamahi honey is a “bold honey with a smooth vanilla flavour and a complex herbal finish.” It comes from New Zealand’s North & South Islands and is best in savory dishes, but will work when you need a distinct honey flavor in baked goods. It’s definitely one I’ll be using very often in the near future!

Honey Pumpkin Granola Cookies
Adapted from: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 c Kamahi honey
1/4 c Pumpkin Butter
1 large egg
1-3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, heaping
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 c Chocolate Chip Almond Granola

Position a rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, honey, and pumpkin butter until smooth. Add the egg and whisk until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda.

Add the flour mixture to the honey mixture all at once and stir until combined. Then stir in the granola. Drop the batter 2 inches apart by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets (12 on each sheet). Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Do not over bake.

The cookies should be nice and chewy when cool. Remove to a rack to cool on the sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to the rack. These cookies will keep layered between wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 weeks.

 

Sweet Melissa Sundays – Chocolate Chip Almond Granola

I’ve had an obsession with chocolate chip granola for the last month. Every morning for breakfast, with the exception of a few days, I’ve added in 1/4 cup into my yogurt. It was never really something I liked until I found a few flavors at Market Street made by Feed. So it was obviously fate when I ran out of the stuff this past Friday morning – now it’s on to making my own batches of granola!

To the SMS’ers: you’ve probably noticed that I changed the title and left out the cherries and other fruits. I’ve gotta have my chocolate! 🙂

Major thanks to Wendy of Pink Stripes who has this wonderful recipe on her blog – check it out and the other SMS bakers here!

Chocolate Chip Almond Granola (pg. 34)
Source: The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy

 

Adopt a Blogger #4 & British Flapjacks

I’m super late on spreading the news, but what with two weeks away from home, mountains of laundry, four flights and lots of eating on the road (blech), it’s been a little hard! 🙂 So, without further adieu, let’s welcome Magda of Cooking is My Therapy to the ‘MBH’ family!!

I had so much fun participating in last year’s ‘Adopt a Blogger’ as a seasoned vet (hee, hee!), that I decided to do it again. Magda doesn’t seem to need a whole lot of help (she’s already got a great blog and lots of yummy recipes that you should check out ASAP) but it’s obvious from our first few emails that we’ll become fab friends in the process! So, to properly welcome her, here’s a beautifully simple recipe for a very popular English treat, the Flapjack (not to be confused with fluffy pancakes). They’re like a buttery, sweet & chewy granola bar… just perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack in between the three!!

British Flapjacks
Source: Bon Appétit, March 2010

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 c (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 c golden syrup*
2-1/3 c quick-cooking oats (not instant or old-fashioned)
Pinch of salt

*A type of syrup popular in Great Britain; available at some supermarkets, specialty foods stores, and British import shops.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan. Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves, and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Add oats and salt; stir until coated. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread out in even layer.
Bake until top is golden (edges will be darker), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut into 4 squares; cut each into 4 triangles (mixture will still be soft). Cool completely in pan before serving.

 

Tuesdays With Dorie – Granola Grabbers

Michelle of Bad Girl Baking chose this week’s TWD recipe and lordy, lordy… these were SO yummy!! 🙂 It was like a Fall Festival in my mouth… I couldn’t stop eating them!!

I subbed chocolate & cinnamon chips for the raisins, used half regular granola & half spiced pumpkin granola and used walnuts instead of almonds… the result = fabulous! These are a definite must-try and perfect for a bake sale or a potluck at the office! I feel Autumn coming on…

Granola Grabbers (pg. 82)
Source: Baking – From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan