Scottish Raspberry and Coconut Granola
Scottish Raspberry and Coconut Granola was my summer special in 2023. I wanted to make a summer granola using seasonal berries, but to work in a granola the berries would have to be dried. I did a little research and discovered that I could actually buy freeze dried Perthshire raspberries from a farm near Coupar Angus. The raspberries are freeze dried after harvesting in the summer and then available to eat all year round.
Freeze dried raspberries taste delicious – both sweet and tart like a fresh raspberry, but with the juice removed. I decided to pair them with a coconut-based granola, which is most similar to the base I make for Coconut & Almond Granola.
I start with Scottish wholegrain jumbo oats from Aberdeenshire. These big oatflakes hold their shape throughout the mixing and baking processes and provide a creamy texture in the finished product.
I then add desiccated coconut and generous helpings of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Over this oaty, coconutty base, I drizzle a blend of warm honey, coconut oil and a little rapeseed oil, then slowly toast it all to a nice, coconutty crunch.
The reason I use a combination of oils is because coconut oil on its own can taste and smell a little cloying, in my opinion. I think I have got the balance right here, as the granola definitely tastes coconutty, but not excessively so.
I hand toast the raw coconut so you get lightly coloured and lightly toasted coconut flakes, not the darker, pre-toasted varieties. When the coconut is cool, I mix it into the coconutty granola along with the gently broken up freeze dried raspberries.
In summary, this is a sweet, coconutty and tart granola that customers describe as:
“...a really fresh, tangy granola ... makes a lovely breakfast and a great start to the day.”
“Probably the best granola out there. Very tasty, not too sweet. Only proper ingredients, no refined sugar or other weird stuff. Perfect breakfast to start the morning. Highly recommended.”
“In a class of its own...”
“First sampled this at a Farmer’s market last summer. Best Granola I have ever tasted! Coconut and Raspberry together is the dream combination. You can really taste the difference from supermarket Granola, which are full of too much sugar and unnecessary ingredients. This is really natural and homemade with love and care. I would highly recommend and will buy again! 5 stars.”
On the back of positive customer feedback, I decided to enter Scottish Raspberry and Coconut Granola into the Great Taste Awards in 2024. And I’m so glad I did, because it won a 1-Star Great Taste Award. The comments from the judges were very complimentary overall:
“This is a pleasing granola, with some bright flavours from the raspberry and coconut. The oat flavour is pleasant, and happily not masked by sweetness, which is well-judged. The judges liked the proportions and crispness of the oats. A very nice example of its kind: very enjoyable.”
“These lovely, large, golden-coloured clusters of oat break up easily, and have a good balance of raspberries, seeds and coconut shavings. Overall [it] is not at all dusty and not too sweet. It has a good crunch with or without milk. Judges felt it was a good example of a lower-sugar granola with good natural ingredients.”
Thank you so much to everyone whose feedback encouraged me to enter the Awards.
Since this flavour came back on the menu in March 2024, Scottish Raspberry and Coconut Granola has become my bestselling granola. It can be enjoyed year-round as it goes well with fresh summer berries, autumnal fruits such as poached pears or cinnamon-spiced stewed apples and even dried fruits and nuts.
