Getting creative with Scrumshus granola…
If you want a filling breakfast that’s full of good things like dried fruit, nuts and seeds, but that doesn’t taste like cardboard, then granola is the way to go. Topped with fresh fruits and accompanied by milk or natural yoghurt, a serving of granola will set you up for the day nicely.
When Scrumshus granola sent me a jar (a recyclable jar, no less) of their award-winning granola to review, I, of course, immediately tried a bowl, and could see why it’s served up at world-class hotels such as Claridge’s, The Ritz and The Dorchester. Crunchy yet chewy, this chunky granola is made with a mix of honey, maple syrup, jumbo oats, coconut, raisins, sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, cashew nuts and hazelnuts, and contains no added sugar, salt or preservatives.
Founder Fay Miller created award-winning Scrumshus after not being able to find a granola she liked. She wanted to create a granola that was chock full of good things and that added a little luxury to breakfast time. Luckily, though, you don’t need to book a room in a top hotel to try it, as you can buy jars from independent delis, Selfridge’s and Ocado.
While it was tempting to eat it by the bowlful, I decided a delicious granola such as this deserves to be used a bit more creatively, so I put it to work livening up a few classic recipes.
Granola Pancakes
Pancakes are the ultimate weekend brunch – not only are they filling, tasty and quick and easy to whip up, but you can also top them with just about anything you like. Including, as I found out last weekend, granola. Here’s what I did.
Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
1 egg
1 cup semi-skimmed milk
Pinch of salt
1 cup Scrumshus granola
A knob of butter
Directions
Put the pan on a medium heat and add a knob of butter. Mix the flour, egg, milk and a pinch of salt in a bowl, then add a spoonful of the mixture into the frying pan. I like thick, American-style pancakes, so I don’t let the batter spread out, instead leaving it to bubble away nicely for a bit.
It’s at this point you add the granola – just sprinkle some on top of each pancake when the surface starts to bubble. Then flip it over (this should be easy if you’ve gone for the smaller, American-style ones) and cook the other side for a minute or so, so the pancake is golden and fluffy. Serve immediately and enjoy on their own, or load them up with toppings – some fresh berries and yoghurt perhaps, or chopped banana and a drizzle of honey.
FYI – this method also works rather well with chocolate chips. You could even push the boat out and have yours with granola and chocolate chips. Go on, I won’t tell.
Granola Bars
If pancakes are the ultimate weekend brunch, then granola bars are the ultimate grab-and-go weekday breakfast. I’m someone who sets their alarm an hour earlier than usual with good intentions, truly believing they will get up early and cook a hearty breakfast, then inevitably find myself rushing out of the door the next morning having not even had time for a slice of toast. Cue, granola bars – the lazy way to get at least some sort of breakfast, which I can grab on my way to work to have on the way.
Ingredients
300g Scrumshus granola
2 tablespoons honey
A few handfuls of dried fruit
A few handfuls of chocolate chips (or whatever else you fancy)
2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
Directions
There’s no exact science involved in making these granola bars, which is probably why I enjoyed making them so much. I simply put all the ingredients in a bowl, mixed them all up to make sure they were well coated with the honey and peanut butter, then spread the mixture into a small baking tray lined with greaseproof paper before putting it into the oven (pre-heated to about 160C) to bake for around 20 minutes. I then left the tray to cool before roughly chopping up the bars – it made about 6 – and enjoying one with a nice cuppa.
Granola-topped Apple Crumble
Apple crumble is a favourite rainy-day recipe, as it’s such a doddle to make and you’ll most likely have everything you need in the cupboard already. On the other hand, it can get a bit, well, samey, so I thought I’d mix it up a bit by adding granola to the topping. Hardly ground-breaking, I’ll admit, but it gave a nice bit of crunch and extra flavour to proceedings. If you want to add some granola goodness to your apple crumble, here’s how.
Ingredients
3-4 Bramley cooking apples
100g granulated sugar
150g plain flour (or gluten-free flour)
75g salted butter, softened
A sprinkling of ground cinnamon
A handful of Scrumshus granola
Directions
If you’re planning on cooking your crumble straight after you’ve made it, pre-heat the oven to 180C – if not, you can just cover the crumble, leave it to cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge until you’re ready to go.
Peel and chop the apples into 1cm chunks, then place them in a saucepan on a medium heat with a few teaspoons of water, 50g of the sugar and about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, depending on your preference. Leave the apples to stew and become mushy.
While the apples are doing their thing, you’ll have time to make the crumble topping – make sure you check and stir the apples occasionally though to make sure they aren’t burning. Put the flour and remaining sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and use your hands to mix it all together so it looks like breadcrumbs.
When the apples are done, pop them into an oven-proof dish, then cover evenly with the crumble topping. For the final flourish, liberally sprinkle Scrumshus granola on top – the more the better in my opinion – before popping the crumble in the oven for about half an hour. I had mine with a lovely dollop of clotted cream, but you could have yours with custard, ice cream or creme fraiche.
