Orange Coconut Granola

Orange Coconut Granola

Text and Photo by Jac Kyles Baker 

Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats

3 TB orange syrup or honey

6 tsp vegetable oil

1 TB brown sugar

3 TB sweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp orange zest*

a few drops of almond extract

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine orange syrup, water, vegetable oil and brown sugar.  Stir until brown sugar dissolves. 

Add oats, coconut and orange zest to the bowl.  Add a few drops of almond extract.  Stir to evenly coat oats.

Drop clumps of half the granola on a microwave safe plate or parchment paper.  Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds at a time until the oats are dry to the touch.**

Carefully remove plate or parchment from the microwave and cool completely on a wire rack.

Repeat with the remaining granola.

Store granola in an airtight container.

Cook's Notes

* I used finely chopped orange peel slices in a bottle of my homemade orange syrup. 

* Don't be tempted to set the timer for a few minutes without checking the progress of the granola.

The granola will go from raw/half done to burned in a matter of seconds.  

Granola may feel soft when taken out of the microwave.  It will harden as it cools.

Patience is key; this is much faster than making granola in a conventional oven.