Nuts and Bolts:

The holiday of Pesach (Passover) is a fun holiday but a long one. We are not allowed to eat leavened foods for eight days. The dietary restrictions associated with this holiday can be challenging to find food my family enjoys. So, I was delighted to find this recipe in my synagogue's newsletter many years ago. It has become a family tradition that I make many batches of it every year. It is excellent as cereal with milk in the morning or on top of yogurt. It is a much-loved mid-day snack.

My thought on Passover Granola:

1. It uses Matzah Farfel, but if you cannot find it, just break up a few matzah sheets into tiny pieces.

2. This recipe called for almonds, but any nuts will do for this recipe.

3. Cinnamon is optional in this recipe, but you can add more cinnamon or any other spice you like in granola.

4. I use whatever oil I have on hand, but if you keep strictly Kosher for Pesach, then use a Kosher for Passover oil.

Method:

For this recipe, you will need 1 pound of matzah farfel, ½ cup of slivered almonds, ¼ of a cup of shredded coconut, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ½ cup of Kosher for Passover oil, ½ cup of honey, one bag of chocolate chips, and Kosher for Passover nonstick vegetable oil spray. 

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Start by lining a rimmed cookie sheet with tin foil and spraying the foil with a nonstick vegetable oil spray. Then in a large bowl, combine the matzah farfel, almond, coconut flakes, and cinnamon. I mix them by hand until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. I taste it to make sure that the cinnamon is well distributed. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and the oil, and make sure they are thoroughly mixed.

Important tip: Measuring honey can be troublesome because it is so sticky and thick. So, I use a method from Alton Brown. Anytime I need to measure out honey, I heat it for 20 seconds in the microwave so it becomes a warm liquid so that can be easily to poured and measured.

After the honey and oil are whisked together, add it to the matzah mixture. Mix the matzah mixture until it is evenly coated with the oil mixture. It is better to over mix than under mix the granola. Dump the mixture out on the prepared cookie sheet and spread it out evenly so that it becomes one thin layer.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 20-30 minutes, and keep an eye on it. After the first 10 minutes, stir the mixture and return to the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes and see if it is done. Sometimes one side of the pan gets darker in color than the other. Stir again and turn the pan so that the darker side will be in the cooler part of your oven. Bake for another five minutes and check to see if it is brown enough. Most of the granola should look toasted; if not, return the pan and let it bake for another five minutes or less. Be careful at this point because the granola can burn quickly. When it is brown enough, let it cool on the tray for at least 30 minutes. 

Important tip:  Let it cool to room temperature before getting it off the pan. It makes it crispier and easier to break into bit size pieces. It keeps the chocolate chips from melting when they are mixed into the granola.

Once it cools, mix in the chocolate chips. I like to do this in a large Lexan container; I add both the granola and the chips into the container. I ensure that the container's cover is tightly closed and shake it up until all the chocolate chips are dispersed throughout the granola. It should keep in an air-tight container for a couple of weeks.

Final Thought:

Passover granola is a recipe that helps my family enjoy the week of Passover since we cannot have many of our favorite foods. We eat it as a cereal or a snack. It is great to bring it to playdates because all the kids think that it is just granola.