Disclaimer, right off the bat. I burnt this batch. I’d never made this type of granola before, and I second guessed myself. And I didn’t measure the liquids. Also, sorry for waiting a full week to post this; grad school stuff was crazy this week, and the front of one of our cars is falling off, while the other car is 30,000 miles overdue for a timing belt replacement. It’s been a party at our house this week. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s do this.

Garam masala. You have to love the earthy, sweet, comforting taste and smell of the Indian staple spice. If you don’t, well, in the words of the beautiful April Ludgate of Parks and Rec, you are basically a war criminal.

I have a lovely artist friend back in Virginia who has a glorious garam masala granola recipe, but in the true Yankee spirit of my ancestors, I did it on my own. And burnt it. But I’ve got it sorted now, and here’s the recipe. If you follow these directions, you will have some delicious, un-singed granola. Thankfully I have a husband who, for some reason, likes slightly-burnt granola, so everyone’s winning over here.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked rolled oats (Quaker’s 1 minute oats, or the like)
• 1 cup nut of your choice (suggestions: sliced almonds, pecans, cashews, pistachios)
• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup coconut chips (use the chips not the flakes! The flakes tend to burn quickly, which will make your granola bitter)
• 1 tsp. sea salt (feel free to be generous though. Unsalted granola is sad granola)
• 1/2 cup brown or raw sugar
• 1/3 cup oil (I prefer coconut oil, but olive or avocado are great alternatives)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (you can also use agave or honey)
• 2 Tbs. garam masala (you can buy this at the grocery store, or, if you are just too cool for school, make your own!)
• 1 cup golden raisins (or whatever dried fruit you like, dried cranberries, sour cherries, whatever floats your boat.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (geez that word is hard to spell). While oven heats, mix oats, nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut chips, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then take a skillet and over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, oil, syrup, and garam masala. Cook, stirring regularly, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake granola for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in golden raisins. Allow to cool fully before transferring the granola to jars or bags.

Enjoy with plain or vanilla yoghurt for breakfast or a quick snack on the go!