Eleven Madison Park's Granola

RECIPE UPDATED 3/27/25

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Hiking Snacks

My typical hiking lunch includes homemade sourdough with PB&J, pretzels or chips, granola, and farmers market fruit. It hits all the right notes from flavor to much needed salt and energy. I've experimented with several different granola recipes over the years but never found anything so delicious I couldn't put it down. Enter Eleven Madison Park.

Eleven Madison Park's granola inconspicuously occupies the last few inches on the last page of EMP's cookbook. It's better than a deconstructed cookie and I'm inclined to ruin my dinner if there's a bag of the stuff laying around. This granola has become my go-to travel snack thanks to its shelf life and ideal balance of crunchy, salty, and sweet.

The recipe calls for dried sour cherries but I generally use dried Bing cherries. Other fruit that has worked in a pinch includes dried plums or pluots (chopped) since they have a nice balance of sweet and tart. Though there's flexibility with the inclusions, I'm not inclined to mess with the oil, sugar, and salt ratios. This sodium lover thinks the balance is just right.

Full disclosure is that I haven't yet made anything else from my EMP cookbook. That being said, it's lovely and full of inspiration.

Recipe Tips

Coconut Whisperer

The coconut flakes are the ingredient I watch most closely when making granola. If the flakes get too dark along the edge, the batch is often overcooked or close to it. The coconut should be light golden throughout and deep golden but not dark brown along the edges.

Stirring

Stirring the granola a few times may seem tedious and unnecessary, but it definitely promotes even browning. You will see the edges cooking faster than the center each time you take the pan out. Additional instructions and cues below.

Patience

The granola will not seem to have achieved peak crunch when it comes out of the oven. Just give it time to cool and the texture will set up.

Measure All The Things

Even though it's "just granola", I weigh everything to ensure the salty and sweet balance is consistent. The ingredients are listed in cups and grams but not ounces so I'll update that part of the post at some point.

On that note, this recipe pushes the sweet/salty boundary which is what makes it so delicious. I strongly suggest weighing the 8 grams of salt, and this is especially true if you don't use Diamond kosher. A tablespoon of Morton kosher, for example, is 14 grams—a whopping 6 grams more which could make the granola too salty. Below is the reference chart from my Sauerkraut recipe.

Original vs. Adapted

Nutty

I reduced the pistachio nuts to 3/4 cup from 1 cup in the original recipe.

Farmers | Artisans

I make an effort to source my food from California artisans with a special focus on the Santa Monica Farmers Market. Below is a list of the folks who contributed to this dish.

• Trattore Farms // Olive Oil
• Katz Farm // Olive OIl
• Camas Country Mill // Organic Oats
• Andy's Orchard // Cherries
• Arnett Farms // Dried Cherries

Tools

• Scale - This is my workhorse -- a sturdy cooking companion that repeatedly gets covered in flour, sauce, or whatever else is flying around the kitchen. I recommend keeping liquids away from the screen since they can find their way inside. That said, the scale seems to dry out and keep on measuring. Note: My original scale with the black pull-out display is now made in all stainless steel.
• Mixing Bowl with Silicone Bottom - I usually reach for this bowl when mixing by hand.
• Baking Sheet - I've been using the same two Chicago Metallic baking sheets for many years. Though I had no idea what brand or type of sheet to buy at the time (I probably still don't), my pans have done a great job.

My Favorite Cooking Tools spotlights the kitchen equipment I’ve owned and used for years from bread baking to coffee brewing.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups (264 grams) organic rolled oats
• 1 cup (60 grams) unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1/3 cup (50 grams) raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2-3/4 cup (75-90 grams) raw unsalted pistachio nuts Note: How nutty you want the granola is up to you.
• 1 tablespoon (8 grams) Diamond kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (96 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (70 grams) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup (100 grams) maple syrup Note: I have been using Crown Maple Syrup Dark.
• 3/4 cup (85 grams) dried sour cherries Note: I have used dried sweet cherries, apricots, and Santa Rosa plums with success.

Instructions

Note: A reader pointed out that their granola only took 35 minutes to turn golden and toasted. Since oven temperatures can vary, it's a good idea to keep a close eye on the visual cues mentioned below and under "Recipe Tips" rather than relying solely on time.

• Line a baking sheet with foil and then lay a piece of parchment (cut to fit) on top of that.
• Move the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 300°F.
• Combine the dry ingredients (oats, coconut, seeds, nuts, and salt) in a slip-proof bowl.
• Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, and olive oil in a small saucepan and heat over a low flame until the sugar is just dissolved. Stir occasionally. Alternatively, place the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15 second increments, stirring at each interval. This takes 30-45 seconds.
• Once the oven is ready, add the olive oil mixture to the oats and stir thoroughly to combine. Make sure all of the oats are coated.
• On the lined baking sheet, spread the oat mixture in an even layer and place in the oven.
• Set two timers - one for 15 minutes and the other for 55 minutes. Browning usually takes 35 to 55 minutes.
• At 15 minutes, stir the granola by pulling the outer edges of the oats in and pushing the center oats out. Mix it around and then spread in an even layer. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
• At 30 minutes, stir. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Update: See timing note at beginning of instructions.
• At 40 minutes, stir. The coconut is medium golden around the edge. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
• At 50 minutes, stir. For my oven, the granola is done at this point.
• Carefully pick the foil up by either end and transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Stir in the dried fruit. Note: Don't worry if the granola doesn't seem crispy. It will set up during the cooling process.
• The granola can be stored in an airtight container for several days or you can freeze larger batches.

Newsletter

Subscribe at the bottom of this page for the Chic Eats roundup. It includes new and updated recipes along with a grab bag of unique content that was interesting enough to share around the dinner table.

The Grand Canyon

As the intro mentioned, EMP's granola is a regular part of my hiking routine. The above photo is from the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon. We made our 4th annual trip this year and it's one of our favorite places to visit. Awe-inspiring, humbling, spectacular - hard to describe just how incredible this natural wonder is. Highly recommended. A short highlight reel from 2024 is here.