I have been trying, unsuccessfully, for the past 2 years to make granola clusters, also known as oat clusters or oatmeal clusters. You know what oat clusters are right? It is baked oats clumped, stuck together, and when cooled completely, they are broken into pieces, like nuggets. Not being someone to give easily give up, I was determined to figure out how to make the clusters, but perhaps I should start by telling you why I wanted to make oat clusters.
As you know, I am not a breakfast person and I don’t have a sweet tooth. However, I am mindful that I can go for very long periods of time without eating anything (mainly due to work or a lack of hunger), and that is not always a good thing, sustenance, no matter how little, can go a long way to keeping one nutritionally fed. When I am going through a phase where I feel amenable to having breakfast, I’d make granola cereal and have it with milk, that keeps me full and nourished all day long. In the past I had considered making granola bars because they are mobile and readily accessible wherever I am. There were failed attempts making the bars and that is because I was not putting the requisite amounts of sweeteners required for the bars to stay firm and solid when cooled, just like the commercial bars. To me it seemed counterintuitive to load up the whole grains, nuts, seeds and fruit with what I considered an inordinate amount of sweeteners. The other drawback about making the granola bars is that I knew that at no time would I be able to eat an entire bar, maybe half the most because the sweetness combined with the wholesomeness of the bar’s ingredients would quickly satiate my hunger. I was determined to get some on-the-go nutrition in a form and manner that I wanted, and that is when I decided that I am going to make granola clusters. They would be small enough to eat with just 2 or 3 clusters satisfying me. Another benefit of the clusters would be that if I wanted to have them as cereal, I could – simply break them up into smaller pieces and let the milk do the rest of the work.
So, I set about making granola/oat clusters. Based on the recipes I had researched, I could use my own granola recipe, but add a little more sugar or one of the liquid sweeteners I use – honey, maple syrup. The first batch was a complete failure, the oats came out loose like granola cereal when it was cooled. Okay some bits were flimsily held together but separated once handled. The next time, based on the recommendation of another recipe, I used butter instead of oil in the recipe, making a caramel sauce that was supposed to be cooked to a particular temperature in order for it to “glue” the oats, nuts and fruits together once cooled. I saw improved results but just like the bars, the recipe called for a lot more sugar and the clusters were soft and chewy rather than crisp, which is how I wanted the clusters to be.
On another occasion when I set out to make the granola/oat clusters, a recipe suggested that I not use all whole rolled oats, instead use a combination of the whole rolled oats and porridge oats (the fast/quick cooking version). The reasoning was sound. Porridge oats as you know, when moistened, get gloopy, gooey and gluey, therefore, when mixed with the whole oats and other ingredients, would assist in binding everything together. The result was like a soft cookie and just as in previous recipes, I had to put a lot of sweetener. My friends and taste testers were having a great time and on occasion even teasing, asking when next I am making oat clusters.
There was a recipe I saw that recommend using egg whites to bind the ingredients, along with the sweeteners. The results shown in the photograph accompanying the recipe looked great, but I did not want to use egg whites. I kept telling myself that there must be some way for the oats to bind themselves with a sweetener. Most, if not all the recipes kept telling me that my loose granola cereal recipe should work to make the clusters, simply pat the granola tightly into the pan. I tried. And I tried. It did not work.
Last week while packing up one of my cupboards, I saw a can of Lyle’s Golden Syrup and out of the blue, it hit me, I should try making the oat clusters with the golden syrup instead of honey or maple syrup (which is what I had been doing). At the back of my mind, I kept thinking that on all my previous attempts, the sweeteners I was using were not converting themselves in way that they could harden when cooled. However, golden syrup is made from sugar and sugar when heated to various temperatures converts and reacts in different ways, it can be poured, spun, stretched; it can crystalize, it can be made into floss, hard or soft candy and it can also harden when melted and cooled! I thought that I would take things a step further by completely eliminating the oil or melted butter from the recipe. I’d keep things simple; the only liquid or binding agent would be the golden syrup. It worked!
I have to admit that I did feel a little self-conscious when I saw how much of the syrup I used but any feelings of guilt quickly went away when I considered the volume of the ingredients, which was significant. What’s more, when I tasted the clusters and shared them with my friends and taste testers, everyone commented that they did not taste as sweet as they thought they would and that encouraged them to keep going back for more. The other thing was the flavour of the clusters, I had put in ground cinnamon, but it was the syrup when cooked that gave a wonderful caramel flavour, so much so that a friend said it made him think of caramel popcorn. It took me a while, but I finally got the oat clusters I was after and I made it using all whole rolled oats. Give the recipe and try and let me know how it works for you.
Cynthia
Granola (Oat) Clusters
INGREDIENTS
● 1pound (5 cups) whole rolled oats
● 1 heaped cup raw almonds, finely chopped
● 1 heaped cup walnuts, finely chopped
● ½ cup pumpkin seeds
● ¼ cup white sesame seeds
● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
● ½ teaspoon fine table salt
● 1 ¼ cups golden syrup
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients first then add the syrup and toss and turn to coat the ingredients.
4. Transfer to lined baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Use the back of a pot spoon, or the bottom of cup or glass to press the ingredients firmly into the pan. It should be a smooth compact layer.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. It is important for the pan and granola/oats to be completely cool so that it can harden.
7. When cool, with your hands, break into pieces/clusters. Store in an airtight jar.
NOTES
● The clusters can be made with oats alone; nuts and dried fruits, if using are optional.
● Ground cardamom can be used instead of cinnamon.
● If you like things a little sweeter, and another ¼ cup of syrup.
