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Simple and Healthy Homemade Granola

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This homemade granola is perfect to start your day…loaded with oats, seeds and nuts, with a touch of honey…

Can you believe that this is my first attempt to make granola? It is true that I have seen homemade granola in so many posts, but never had the desire to make until one day at Costco, after trying it and bringing it home, we somehow got into granola…

We were adding the granola to yogurt, cereal, yes, cereal just to give different texture…until I carefully read the content of sugar and decided right there to make my own.

– Why is great to make your own granola?

Not only you can control the amount of sugar and oil you add, you can add all your favorite nuts, seeds and so on.

– How easy is to make granola?

It is just like counting one-two-three.  Gather all the ingredients you want…main ingredient is organic rolled oats…after that be my guest and add whatever you want.

– Do you like cluster or loose granola?

I like my loose since I do not tend to snack on it…but, you can have it both ways, for clustered granola, just press it against the pan and break into chunks. For loose, spread it lightly and mix once out of the oven.

– How long can you keep homemade granola?

Once it totally cooled, store in an airtight container and it should be good for 2-3 weeks. I prefer to add the dry fruits such as cranberry, raisin, blueberry when I am serving the granola, this way I make sure that my granola has not contact with any moist. Moreover, if I have fresh fruit I skip the dry ones on my yogurt…I think it makes sense right?

– Are you ready to see what I mix on my granola?

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups old fashioned organic oat
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup chia seeds
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup of honey (or a mix of honey and maple syrup)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (sunflower)

Method:

Preheat oven to 325oF.

In a large bowl, stir together oat, almond and the seeds.  Mix well and set aside.

In a separate small bowl whisk to combine oil, honey, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.

Pour the honey mix into the oat mix and toss to coat.

Spread the granola onto a silicone mat or parchment paper lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

If you like clustered granola, bake it undisturbed. For loose granola, stir the granola halfway through baking.

Let the granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

– Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that granola, due to high amount of oat are a great source of fiber and iron? Adding nuts and seeds will add good fat such as unsaturated fat to your diet. The good thing about making your own granola is that you are in control of the amount of sugar and fat you add to it.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Buttery Almond Crisp Cookies

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These thin and crispy almond cookies are perfect for the afternoon tea…just be aware that you will not be able to stop eating it until they are all gone…

Many many years ago I had posted this recipe, and after a lot of thought I decided that it was time to “revive” and revisit the post with some minor updates…mainly changing the measurements parameters…from spoons to weight and using less sugar without affecting the taste of these delicate and yummy cookies.

– Leftover egg whites?

These cookies are the perfect way to use up the leftover egg whites that you have in your refrigerator…

– Why you should make these cookies?

Every bite of this cookie comes with two layers of flavors, a thin buttery citrus layer topped with crispy nutty sliced almonds…and the uneven shape make them even more appealing. I baked these cookies often to give as a gift or take to parties, and always have been well received.

Even if you do not have leftover egg whites I urge you to try it…no special skill or gadgets needed. You just need to be careful, so they do not burn since they are very thin and delicate.

– Can I store them?

Absolutely, just let the cookies cool completely and store them in an air-tight container, and they are good for a couple of weeks.

– Ready to try these amazing cookies?

Ingredients:

  • 3 egg whites
  • 45 g sugar
  • 35 g all-purpose flour
  • 20 g butter, melted
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon orange or lemon zest
  • Pinch salt
  • 1-1 ½ cup sliced almond

Method:

Preheat the oven at 300oF or 275oF if using convection oven.

Mix the sugar with the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved, fold in the sifted all-purposed flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated to the egg whites. Add the salt, vanilla extract and the orange zest. Mix gently and add the melted butter.

Using a spoon, pour half of the batter to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mate and spread the batter throughout the sheet. Repeat the same with the other half batter. Once the batter is thinly spread throughout the sheet gently cover the batter with the sliced almond.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 275oF or 250oF if using convection oven and leave it for another 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes turn the oven off and leave the oven door ajar.

Please note that oven temperature varies, so keep an eye while baking, since the layer is very thin it can be burned very easily.

– Care for more Asian inspired recipe? Take a look at these…

Break the pieces randomly and store in an air tight container

Did you know almonds are rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium? Moreover, almond contains healthy unsaturated fats and no cholesterol, making it a great snack. It has been published that almond can reduce cardiovascular disease by reducing LDL (bad cholesterol).

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Frangipane Rolls

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If you love anything almond you will love this rolls. Layers of creamy frangipane in between soft and cottony bread made with tangzhong method.

Here I am with another recipe for bread…this time I made two kind of bread using the same batch of dough. This is a super versatile dough as you can all kind of rolls and buns with it, sweet or savory version and even a sandwich loaf, which I did.

This dough taste almost like brioche without all the butter…very soft and rich in flavor due to the heavy cream and eggs. Since I baked these rolls, I already used this same dough recipe for cinnamon rolls and cheese and caramelized scallion rolls…so good!

I love everything almond…and frangipane which is merely an almond cream is one of my favorite way to enjoy almond…I love frangipane in tart, pies, cake and in rolls.
Each bite of this roll is loaded with fragrant almond cream in between a soft and cottony bread dough…heavenly!

When mixing all the ingredients, initially the dough will be very “wet”, do not panic as gluten develops you will see how “miraculously” the dough will all come together in a very soft and elastic ball. As a matter of fact when the dough reach the windowpane stage, you will be able to stretch so thin as the dough is so soft.

Please note that I had some frangipane left which I used to make frangipane toast…recipe coming soon.

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

  • 40 g bread flour
  • 200 ml water

Bread Dough

  • 550 g bread flour
  • 85 g sugar
  • 7 g salt
  • 7 g yeast
  • 50 g heavy whipping cream
  • 2 eggs slightly beaten (minus 1 tablespoons, for egg wash), complete with water to reach 120g
  • 60 g butter (unsalted)

Frangipane (almond cream)

  • 200 g almond paste (store bought or homemade)
  • 2 eggs
  • 50 g butter, unsalted
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract

Topping

  • Egg wash: 1 tablespoon egg (from the dough), 2 drops of water, 1 drop vanilla extract
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup almond, sliced

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film. Please see here.

Bread Dough

Place all the cooled water roux and all the ingredients listed under dough into a mixer except for the butter. Mix until all the ingredients are together, it will be slightly sticky.

Increase the speed to number 2 and continue to mix for 5 minutes.

Add the butter and continue the mixing until the dough is smooth and comes out of the mixing bowl, this will take approximately 15 minutes. You will notice that the dough will no longer be that sticky.

Place the dough into a medium to large bowl. Cover and let it proof until the size triple from the original size.

Frangipane (almond cream)

In the mixing bowl, add almond paste. Beat on medium speed, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.

Add the eggs, one at the time and beat well after each addition. Always scrape the sides of the mixing bowl.

Add the butter and the almond extract, beat until the butter is incorporated in the cream.

Now the frangipane is ready to be use. It can be store in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Assembling the Frangipane Rolls

Knock back the dough and weigh 550g (for the Pullman loaf) and the remaining for the frangipane rolls.

For the Pullman loaf, follow HERE.

For the frangipane rolls, roll the dough it out to form a rectangle of approximately 35x28cm (14x11in).

Spread the frangipane, leaving approximately 1cm (½ in) in the border along the wider edge.

Starting at the covered edge, roll the dough up like a Swiss roll.

Press the edges together and cut the roll into 12 slices and then place these cute side up in the pan.

Cover with clear film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the dough slices have doubled in size.

In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F.

Just before placing the buns in the oven, prepare an egg wash with the tablespoon of egg with 2 drops of water and 1 drop of vanilla extract (if desire).

Brush the top of the buns with the egg wash and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake the buns for approximately 20 minutes and the Pullman loaf for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the rolls and loaf into a wire rack to cool.

Serve the buns warm or room temperature.

Wait for the Pullman loaf to cool completely before slicing.

Store both the buns and the bread in an airtight container.

Did you know that frangipane can be used like a pastry cream? Next time baking any tart that requires pastry cream you can substitute it with frangipane.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Almond Paste

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If you are a marzipan lover you will definitely try this recipe. The almond paste can be used in so many ways, such as bread, cake, cookies, the options are endless.

I love almond paste or marzipan…when living in Brazil I used to buy “potato balls” or fruit shaped marzipan with the money that my parents would give me for snack and would munch on it on my way home after school.

That might explain my love for marzipan, as each bite of anything with it brings me memories of my childhood.

Almond paste or marzipan, I honestly do not know the difference between the two of them…they are both made with blanched almond and confectioner sugar…because I remember the “potato balls” and fruit shaped candies were called marzipan, I assume that marzipan is used for making candies and almond paste as a filling.

Never mind it’s name…almond paste or marzipan…the recipe for it is very simple and you will be very happy have it handy.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups blanched almonds
  • 3 cups confectioner sugar
  • 2 egg whites
  • 4 teaspoons almond extract

Method:

Blanch the almonds by placing the almonds in a bowl. Cover all the almonds with boiling water. Let the almonds sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Drain and slip the skin off.

Place the blanched almonds in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are ground. Add the egg white, confectioner sugar and the almond extract. Pulse until the mixture is smooth.

Remove the paste and place onto a silicone mat. Split into 4 equally portions. Roll into logs and wrap the logs with a plastic film. Place the wrapped almond paste in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store the almond paste in a freezer until needed.

When you need the almond paste, take the paste out of the freezer and bring it to room temperature.

Next week I will share with you what I did with this almond paste log…

If you like this simple recipe for almond paste, you might enjoy making bread like this Almond Paste Bread or  a cake like Almond Flour Chocolate Cake.

Did you know that adding almond to your diet can help lower LDL-cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular disease? This may be due to high content of the antioxidant Vitamin E found in almonds. Although almond is considered healthy, it contains oxalate which should be avoided in individuals with existing kidney and gallbladder problems.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Florentines Cookis

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Apparently these cookies have its origin in Italy. Generally these cookies can be in a form of cookie or bar containing mainly two layers; one of baked pastry and another one of sticky nut with or without candied fruit. After searching for one recipe with ingredients that I had handy, I adapted this one from Desserts Magazine. The buttery orange pastry layer combined with the sticky nut on top is just amazingly delicious. I urge you to give this recipe a try; I can guarantee that you will not regret…the only problem is that you must have a very strong will to not finish it all in one day.

As I mention, this recipe is based on the one published in Desserts Magazine and I made suitable changes to the palate of my family. Changes were done in order to decrease the sugar and butter content by increasing the ratio of almond.

Ingredients:

Pastry layer
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ tablespoon baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
Pinch of salt
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 medium egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Almond layer
½ cup sugar
½ stick unsalted butter
2 tablespoon honey
Pinch of salt
½ cup heavy cream
16oz of slivered almond

Method:

In the mixer, place the butter, flour, baking powder, salter, sugar and orange zest. Using a paddle, mix until crumble like texture. Add the egg and vanilla extract until a dough forms. Wrap the dough and place in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Transfer the dough to a lightly flour surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8 in thickness. Transfer the dough to a ¼ sheet size baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until slightly golden color.

In the meantime prepare the almond layer by placing the sugar, butter, honey, salt and heavy cream in a small pan over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the almond and mix gently until a uniform mix. Remove from the heat.

Pour the almond mix on the pastry layer, by smoothing evenly. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 330F and return the cookies to the oven for another 15 minutes. Make sure to not over bake the cookies.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cut out into squares once the cookie is completely cool.

Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Before I forget…

Did you know that almond is considered one of the most nutritious nuts? Almonds are high source of vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Moreover, they contain protein, high in fiber and low in sugars.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes [Dot] Me and have a great week!

 



Almond Cookies

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These cookies are great, they are crusty on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. You will need only 4 ingredients, it is dairy and gluten free…and so simple to make. The ingredients are the same as for marzipan or almond paste, only in different ratio.

I love these cookies at any time with coffee, tea or just as a little snack. They make awesome little gifts, especially during this time of the year.

Ingredients:

14 oz blanched almond
1 ½ cup powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar
1 egg white
2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg yolk from the egg white used above (store in the refrigerator)

Method:

To blanch the almonds, place almonds in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover the almonds. Let the almond sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the water and rinse under cold water. Drain the almonds and slip the skin off. Let them dry completely using.

Place the almond in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times until fine ground. Add the sugar and continuo to pulse until finely ground. Add the egg white and the almond extract, pulse again until a ball forms (sort of).

Remove the ball from the food processor bowl and make a ball. Split the ball into two pieces and wrap the one and set aside.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. Set aside.
With the other one, make a ball and roll with a roller pin into about ½ in thickness. Cut out the dough with the cutter of your choice, make it small, and set them o the baking sheet, just a little apart of each other. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Once all the dough is cut out, uncovered 6 to 7 hours or overnight.

After the cookies have set and dried out, preheat the oven to 400F.

Gently mix the egg yolk and brush the cookies with it. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until the top slightly golden.

Let them cool on the wire rack and store in an airtight container.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for Almond Cookies you might want to check on the Roasted Cinnamon Almond from Color Your Recipes.

Did you know that almonds are rich in vitamins and minerals? Almonds are cholesterol free and contain unsaturated fat, which can help reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease.

Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!



Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

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This recipe has a story…I used to buy this kind of almonds at Costco mainly during holiday time, and I’d go through many many jars. Initially my husband did not care for it, so I knew that the almonds were all for me and I had a sense of how long the almonds would last me. But one day he decided that he liked the almonds and I could see the almonds in the jars disappearing in front of my eyes very fast. That was not the issue…the issue was that Costco stopped carrying the product, and he even called the Costco buyer in Seattle. Well, that was the end of my cinnamon almonds until I searched the internet and saw many different versions of it. In the end, all worked for better. Not only I could manage the amount of sugar, the cost of these roasted cinnamon almonds came much cheaper than the Costco ones…so I am all happy again with my almonds. Be aware, these almonds are addictive! You cannot stop eating them once you start, so be careful…you have been alerted!

I took these almonds to work and a lot of people asked for the recipe, so here it is…

Ingredients:

4 ½ cups almonds
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven at 250F.

Add the vanilla extract to egg white and mix until slightly frothy. In another bowl mix the sugar, salt and the cinnamon, set aside.

Add the mix of egg white to the almonds and mix until all the almonds are covered with the egg white.

Add the sugar mix to the almonds covered with egg white and mix gently until all the almonds are covered with sugar.

Spread the almonds in prepared trays (I used 2 baking sheet) and bake for 1 hour at 250F, flipping the almonds every 20 minutes, so the almonds do not stick to the baking sheet.

Remove the almonds from the oven, let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Did you know that almond is not a nut but a drupe? A drupe is a fruit that has a fleshy part in the outside with a hard shell with a seed inside. So almond is mainly sold with shelled or unshelled.

Thank you for visiting Simple Recipes!



Almond Crisps and a “Visitor””

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This is a very simple and easy recipe for such a yummie treat. It is low in cholesterol, although you can make it cholesterol free by substituting the butter for vegetable oil. I just decided to use butter because they sure taste better… But be aware that it is hard to eat these crisps in moderation since they are so light, crispy, crunchy and very addictive….again very addictive.

Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 6 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1½ cup sliced almond

Method:

Preheat the oven at 325F

Mix the sugar with the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved, fold in the sifted all purposed flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated to the egg whites. Add the salt, vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Mix gently and add the melted butter.

Using a spoon, pour half of the batter to a cookie sheet cover with parchment paper or silicone mate and spread the batter through the sheet. Repeat the same with the other half batter. Once the batter is thinly spread throughout the sheet gently cover the batter with the sliced almond.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 300F and leave it for another 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes turn the oven off and leave the almond crisp in the oven until the oven cooled down, the almond crisp sheet color will be even.

Please note that oven temperature varies, so keep an eye while baking, since the layer is very thin it can be burned very easily.

Break the pieces randomly and store in an air tight container.

Now, the pictures of my visitor…

Did you know that almond contains substantial amount of carbohydrates therefore is used as flour for cakes and cookies? Moreover, almond flour is gluten free thus used for people that are gluten sensitive.

Thank you for visiting Simple Recipes!