Muesli in the Morning (or really any time)

It’s probably time I start keeping track of my top recipes that are on repeat in our kitchen so I don’t have Google them, reference my Pinterest pins, or pull up a picture of a cookbook every time I make them. Probably the number one repeat of this year is this amazingly scrumptious, healthy, hearty, fruity, nutty, toasty muesli – a Swiss-German word for mix, and defined as a combo of cereals (especially oats, dried fruits, and nuts) typically eaten for breakfast. But come on, I come from a family who’s been known to have breakfast for dinner, and well, Dad’s favorite late night snack is a bowl of cereal. Perhaps the one night when I found my then-boyfriend-now-husband sneak out of bed to pour a bowl of cereal was the night I knew he was meant to be in my world.

So, yes, this muesli can be eaten at any time of the day. It’s also a fantastic snack for travels, hikes, bike rides, or even gifts. I like to make a big batch and bottle some of it up in mason jars, add a cute ribbon, and give it as a gift, especially to balance out rich holiday meals – it just carries all of the good feels. Check out how it looks up close, and just how much it makes! Great for any season – just switch up the fruits like dried cherries in the summer, golden raisins or dates in the winter, dried figs in the fall.

Okay, so what about this recipe?

My husband and I were fortunate to visit New Zealand on our honeymoon and a fan of bed and breakfasts, we rested for two nights at the quaint Dunluce-Fiordland B&B in the remote (and sparsely populated) town of Te Anau on the South Island (near Doubtful Sound). One of the owners, and the chef, Philippa, was kind enough to let me take a photograph the cookbook with the muesli recipe from her delicious breakfast spread. And I have been pulling up this photo on my phone to repeat the recipe over and over and over – it never gets old! (Well, sometimes we take a break so our jaws can rest from chewing such hearty goodness for weeks on end.)

Here’s a photo of the quaint local table setting:

Since I just made another big batch this week, I decided to email Philippa to inquire about the chef whose cookbook I photographed so I could give proper credit where it’s due! She wrote back within hours, which was pretty much the highlight of my day!

I learned that the recipe is The Very Best Home Made Muesli, by Chelsea Winter, pretty much a New Zealand food sensation, and cookbook author (where has she been all my life?!), and award winning master chef! Also, her cookbook, EAT, was the #1 best-selling cookbook in New Zealand in 2017! I can’t wait to buy her cookbooks, including Everyday Delicious which includes the muesli recipe – I hope you will too!

Here’s Chelsea’s recipe – feel free to modify as you like or for food allergies (like removing coconut, nuts, or bran flakes):

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 cups bran flakes
2 cups flaked or shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups chopped almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds (game-changer because they cluster in sweet, nutty crunchy bites)
1 cup pumpkin seeds
2 1/2 cups dried fruit (dates, apricots, cranberries, goji berries, and raisins)
1 cup freeze-dried raspberries (optional)
1/2 cup cold-pressed coconut oil (or use 75g butter)
3 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius, or 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Gently heat the coconut oil, cinnamon, and honey together until melted
In your larges mixing bowl, combine everything with the honey mixture EXCEPT dried fruit (it will get rock hard if you bake it with the oats)
Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown (it’s not supposed to be darker brown like traditional granola), but add a few minutes if you like it a tad toastier. Mix it around half way through.
Remove from oven, and place it back in the big mixing bowl to cool. Mix in the fruit. Store in an airtight container like mason jars. Store in fridge or dark pantry. (Note from Rebecca: We keep it in the pantry but it doesn’t last too long)
Serve with milk, Greek yogurt and stewed fruit (Note from Rebecca: or, just eat it like a snack and just dive right in!)