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Fig, Walnut & Caramelised Feijoa Granola

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I must admit I am an absolute creature of habit, especially in the morning, and anyone who knows me well knows that my day always begins with at least two mugs of piping hot green tea followed with a bowl of toasted Simple Stovetop Muesli, fresh fruit and thick Greek yoghurt. Apart from the odd weekend breakfast treat, the only variation to this routine is when I decide to change it up and make a chunky seasonal granola instead. 

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This recipe for Fig, Walnut and Caramelised Feijoa Granola is a lovely way to embrace the deep warming flavours of Autumn, and if you are lucky enough to be able to get hold of fresh figs, you might want to fancy it up by making the Fig & Feijoa Breakfast Parfait. This season our Brunoro Black fig has been prolific, and a simple parfait is one of the best ways to eat this amber-fleshed variety. 

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I like my granola chunks nice and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, which is usually achieved by melting honey or maple syrup together with coconut oil and mixing that through the dry ingredients before baking. In this recipe I have stepped that process up by first making a simple caramelised feijoa sauce to stir through at the same time as the honey and oil, which helps to give a rich feijoa flavour to the granola and aids with the chunkability. It is also a helpful way to use up those end of season feijoas, and the bonus is that you can make a double batch of sauce and freeze half for later use. It should be noted that the recipe makes 1 ½ cups of caramelised feijoas and you only need to blend 1 cup for the sauce, so you will have enough caramalised feijoas left over to make two parfaits, or to enjoy spooned over the granola at your leisure. 

 

Makes approximately 11 ½ cups worth 

 

Ingredients 

• 2 packed cups worth of feijoas, scooped from their skins 

• 50 grams butter OR 3 tablespoons coconut oil 

• ¼ cup of coconut sugar OR brown sugar 

• 4 cups rolled oats 

• 2 cups thread coconut 

• 2 cups walnut pieces 

• 250 grams dried figs, cut into quarters – try to get the moist “ready to eat” dried figs if you can for this 

• ¼ cup cold-pressed coconut oil 

• ¼ cup honey 

 

 

Method 

1. Place the butter into a pan and begin heating to medium high heat. Thickly slice the scooped feijoa and add to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring every now and then until the feijoas are soft and beginning to caramelise. Add the sugar and cook for a couple more minutes on medium heat, stirring the whole time, until a thick caramel sauce is formed around the feijoas. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. 

2. Preheat oven to 150.C 

3. In a large bowl mix the oats, coconut, walnut pieces and dried figs together, and make a well in the centre of the mixture. 

4. Take 1 cup of the caramelised feijoas and place into a blender. Blend until smooth. Put the remaining feijoas into a dish to serve later with the parfait.  

5. Using the same pan the feijoas were in, melt the coconut oil and honey together until it is just beginning to bubble. Tip the mixture into the well of dry ingredients and add the blended caramelised feijoas. Mix everything together well. 

6. Spread baking paper out onto a large oven tray and pour the granola onto it, spreading it out into an even layer. 

7. Bake for 30 –35 minutes until golden brown, gently turning with a spatula after 15 minutes. If you like chunky granola, try not to break up the lumps too much when you turn it.  

8. Remove the granola from the oven and let it completely cool before transferring to an airtight container. 

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