WHOLE FOODS USED TO CARRY A GINGER GRANOLA in their bulk section that my husband loved. Then one day, it just wasn’t there anymore. So I set out to recreate a version as close to it as I could get. He quickly changed allegiances to this recipe and now we nearly always have a jar on the counter for morning meals and snacks.
4 cups/340 g old-fashioned rolled oats
1½ cups/170 g chopped raw walnuts
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup/60 ml sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
½ cup/120 ml cane syrup (such as Lyle’s Golden Syrup or Steen’s) or agave nectar
2 egg whites, beaten until frothy
1 cup/140 g finely chopped crystallized ginger
Preheat oven to 325°F/165°C/gas 3.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, ground ginger, and salt. Use your hands to toss together. Pour the sunflower oil into a glass measuring cup and swirl it around before adding it to the oat mixture. Using the same, unwashed cup measure the cane syrup. The residual oil will help the syrup exit the cup.
Use a silicone spatula to work the oil and cane syrup into the oats and nuts. When it is well integrated, add the beaten egg whites and toss to coat. The egg white helps the granola form clusters, a key element to an appealing, crunchy granola.
Spread the granola out on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake the granola until it is golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes, stirring the granola every 10 minutes so that it bakes evenly.
Remove the granola from the oven. Sprinkle the crystallized ginger over the hot granola and quickly stir it in. Leave the granola to cool for several hours, or even overnight, so that the crunchy clusters have plenty of time to set up.
When the granola is completely cool, break it up into small clusters and store it in an airtight container. It will keep for a week to 10 days.