I never actually make the same muesli twice - heading out to the shops to buy walnuts when I already have peanuts I need to use, or buying more Medjool dates when I have a few left in the fridge because I needed more according to the recipe is not my thing. I like to make use of what I have and I hate buying groceries most than once or twice a week.
So how do I make my toasted muesli?
Well after making different variations for years and years, I’ve, without even realising, developed my own little formula, and it goes a little something like;
- 3 cups of oats
- 1 cup of chopped nuts
- 1/2 a cup of dried fruit
- Flavourings (like cinnamon, maple syrup or orange rind)
- 1/3 of a cup of oil
- 1/2 a cup of sweetener (like honey or maple syrup)
And then bake (my exact recipe for the muesli pictured is below).
This method does mean my fruit is chewier than most toasted mueslis as it dries out a little, but not only do I like it like that, but I prefer to bung (what a word!) everything together so I can clean up while things are cooking. Adding different things at different stages is too high maintenance for me. (Perhaps I should change ‘Healthy Not Hard’ to ‘Tasty and Lazy’!).
While I am about to share the exact recipe I used here, I want to encourage you to use what’s in your pantry. Oats are kind of needed, for sure, but any nuts you have (PSA - Peanuts in muesli or granola are THE BEST) - use them! Dried fruit (Apricots, dates, sultanas, even prunes), get it out and chop it up all together (and if you’ve got none skipping the fruit is fine!). My only tip is if you do want to add seeds like flaxseeds or LSA, add them for the last 5 minutes of baking - I don’t think they fair well baking for a long time.
If you use the above ratios, you can’t go wrong.
But here’s what I did on this day….
Ingredients;
- 3 cups of rolled oats
- 1 cup of roughly nuts (I used a combination of walnuts, peanuts and almonds)
- 1/2 a cup of sultanas
- 1/3 of a cup of olive oil
- 1/2 a cup of honey (heated a little so it was easy to stir through)
- Rind of 1 orange
- 1 tbsp of cinnamon
Method;
1. Preheat your oven to 180c and line a baking tray.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Pour in the oil and honey and mix until the muesli mixture is well coated.
4. Spread flat onto a tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and toasty, stirring every 5 minutes and being sure not to leave alone for too long (it can get too golden very quickly).
5. Remove from the oven, give it a final stir and allow it to cook on the tray.
Super simple, super delicious (I often find myself eating it out of the canister as a snack).
After a few times making this the quantities will be in your brain forever and you’ll never have to wonder which toasted muesli recipe to make again.
Nat x