Recipe: Soft & Chewy Granola

Forget everything you think you know about granola. Let go of your crunchy, overly sweet, oat-filled expectations, and the results are magically different and incredibly satisfying. This is nowhere near your average granola — which is exactly why I seriously can’t get enough of the stuff.

There’s nary an oat in sight, and crispy clusters are forgotten. Instead, nuts and seeds take center stage in a soft and chewy granola that’s sweetened with honey, flecked with dry fruit, and guaranteed to be your new morning obsession.

There is no shortage of granola recipes out there. I have my favorites and hardly thought I needed to add a new one to my repertoire until I met this one. This unique recipe comes from Andrea Reusing, Executive Chef at The Durham Hotel in Durham, North Carolina. During my visit to the boutiquey, mid-century-modern spot last fall I was treated to all sorts of good things only hotels this hip can provide — freshly ground coffee delivered to your door, yoga on the rooftop, and a complimentary breakfast spread that had me swooning.

Their signature granola, served atop their homemade yogurt, gave me a new perspective on the morning staple. A whole slew of nuts and seeds and chopped dried apricots are baked at a low temperature with honey and just a bit of butter to make a mix that’s sticky and soft, rather then dry and crisp. It clumps, rather than clusters, and the array of nuts and seeds results in a mixture of textures and flavors that’s hard to get sick of.