Brown Butter Maple Amaretto Spiked Granola

Brown Butter Maple Amaretto Spiked Granola

It smells so good in my apartment.  I have the wonderful aroma of butter, maple and nuts baking in the oven.  My husband always says the neighbors must be wondering what is going on in here with all the fabulous smells lingering down the hall.   Today, they're smelling granola.

Granola is such a team player.  It goes well with yogurt, on ice cream, fresh fruit and just all by itself.  This particular granola is a mixture of oats, maple sugar, butter and nuts.  If you have a hard time finding maple sugar, feel free to use light brown sugar.

I'm a little more particular when it comes to baking and find it necessary to weigh all the ingredients on the scale. I have included the weight in grams if you have a kitchen scale.  You will find it is much more accurate and you get the same product every time.

Tools needed...

Small saucepan

2 sheets parchment paper

2 rimmed baking sheets

Kitchen scale

You have to begin making this with the brown butter.  It needs a lot of attention, so it's best to get this done before anything else so it doesn't burn.

Brown butter…
     6 tablespoons unsalted butter (90 grams)
     3 teaspoons vanilla paste (18 grams)

          1/4 cup maple syrup (70 grams)
          1/2 teaspoon salt (3 grams)

• Melt unsalted butter and vanilla paste in a small saucepan over medium low heat
• Swirl the pan or stir occasionally as the butter browns and begins to smell nutty.  
• The butter should be brown, but not burned.  The only black you should see is the vanilla paste.
• Remove the butter from the heat and let cool slightly.  
• Add the maple syrup and salt and stir to let the salt dissolve.

Golden brown butter

The granola mixture…Preheat oven to 325 degrees

     2 1/2 cups gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats (240 grams) (I prefer Bob's Red Mill)
     1/2 cup slivered almonds (75 grams)
     1/2 cup raw walnuts (60 grams)
     1/2 cup maple sugar (105 grams)
     1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
     1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

          2 tablespoons Amaretto (20 grams)

• Mix all the ingredients (except the Amaretto) in a large bowl
• Stir in the brown butter mixture and the Amaretto
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Pour granola mixture onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet
• Spread mixture evenly on to the pan
• Top with 2nd piece of parchment paper
• Sit 2nd baking sheet on top of the parchment paper

Unbaked Granola spread on baking sheet

• Bake at 325 degree oven for 20 minutes 
• Rotate pan and bake for additional 10 minutes.  At this point, granola should be golden brown on the edges. If not, bake about 5 minutes longer.
• Let cool and break into pieces
• Store in an airtight container

Baked Granola (Golden brown on edges)