Fig Granola

C is learning to love dried fruit. So far he’s into pears, apples, apricots, and prunes. I’m a little nervous about dried figs, but then I know how much he likes cereal (or anything mom has), I bet I can start him off with this dried fig granola!

Dried Fig Granola

I’ve said it many times before, but I didn’t try fresh figs until our honeymoon when I was 29! Given my profound love for produce, that’s rather shocking – to me!

I did have dried figs before then, but I didn’t appreciate them as much.

Finding delicious dried figs is important to learning to enjoy them and particularly crucial in making fig granola because they bake in the oven.

Some dried figs are very dry and they seem very seedy. A good dried fig, however, is plump. The flesh of the fruit balances out the seediness (there’s a seedy pun in there somewhere, but it’s not coming to me quickly)!

How to Make Granola with Dried Fruit

I’ve long loved granola, but when I first started trying to make it, I burned it EVERY time. I didn’t realize how easily the fruit can burn. In my coconut granola, I leave the dried cranberries out until the end.

Deciding to bake the fruit or not is purely up to you. If you do bake the fruit, as this dried fig granola recipe calls for, then you REALLY need to keep an eye on it the second half of baking to prevent burning.

The downside (for some) to leaving out the fruit until the end is that it’s extra moist and chewy. Baking it takes some of that away.

And if you’re really torn, you could always add in the fruit part way through baking!

Homemade Granola Variations

I’m always looking for ways to slightly change a recipe and make it seem new but not too new. My favorite way to adapt a granola recipe is to change the nuts, seeds, or fruit – leaving everything else the same.

Another fun idea is to chop the nuts and seeds bigger or smaller. I like bigger chunks of the nuts, but sometimes the finer chop is a pleasant change of pace!

Print

DRIED FIG GRANOLA

Dried figs offer the perfect sweetness to this homemade breakfast (or snack). Whole grains and spices combine for a delicious dried fig granola that's great with your favorite milk or over yogurt. I also love to sprinkle it on ice cream for a yummy dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Servings 6.5 cups

Ingredients

• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 ½ cups diced dried golden figs
• ½ cup chopped raw walnuts
• ¼ cup chopped raw almonds
• ¼ cup unsalted raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a large rimmed sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter.
2. Add the syrup, brown sugar, and butter to a small saucepan. Simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, over medium heat, about 5 minutes, until all ingredients are melted.
3. Stir together the oats, figs, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the sweetened, melted butter into the bowl and stir well to blend all ingredients.
4. Pour the granola out onto the sheet pan and spread into a single layer. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Be sure to watch it closely the final 10 minutes because it can over-brown and burn quickly.
5. Let cool before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

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