When presented in a pretty jar, homemade granola makes for the perfect addition to a Christmas hamper. This combination of mango with nutty buckwheat and warming spices is perfect paired with yogurt or sprinkled on top of porridge at breakfast time. This recipe makes enough for 3 x 0.5L jars (assuming too much doesn't get consumed along the way).

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Mango & Cardamom Granola

Ingredients

• 180g oats (gluten free if needed)
• 160g uncooked buckwheat
• 150g cashew nuts
• ½ tsp ground cardamom (seeds from about 6 pods)
• 1 ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 90g honey
• 50g light olive oil
• 1 egg white​
• 150g chopped dried mango

What You'll Need

• A baking sheet (one large or two medium)
• Weighing scales
• A knife and chopping board
• Baking parchment or silicone baking mat
• A large mixing bowl
• A wooden spoon or spatula
• 3 x 0.5L airtight jars or containers
• Gift labels (optional)

Tip: Nutty buckwheat gives this granola a delicious crunch and depth of flavour. It's available in most supermarkets and health food stores but if you can't find it, try substituting with the same weight of quinoa, millet or with 90g more oats instead.

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 165˚C (150˚C fan). Line the baking sheets with baking parchment or silicone mats. Weigh the ingredients.

Step 2:

Roughly chop the cashew nuts and mix with the other dry ingredients (oats, buckwheat and spices) in a large mixing bowl until well-combined.

Step 3:

Now for the wet ingredients: Add the oil to the honey and mix together. If the honey is very sticky, warm it gently in a microwave until liquid (about 30 seconds on low power). Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients until thoroughly coated. Finally, whisk the egg white with a fork until slightly frothy, and mix this in too.

Step 4:

Spread the granola mixture out onto the baking sheet and place into the oven for 30 minutes.

Step 5:

After 20 minutes, check that the edges are not browning too quickly. If they are, give the granola a little stir to combine them back in. If you prefer large clusters of granola, be careful not to separate the mixture too much at this stage.

Step 6:

After 30 minutes, or when it's golden brown all over, remove the granola from the oven and leave to cool on the tray. When it is completely cool, sprinkle over the chopped dried mango and divide the finished granola between airtight jars.

Images c/o: Gluten Free B

Enjoyed this recipe? Then we think you'll also enjoy these chocolate Christmas tree cupcakes and festive pistachio biscotti.