Granolas from La Campagne Bakery earned two “favorites” in this review. Above, Baked Granola. Photography by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.
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STEPHANIE ZONIS is a contributing editor.
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January 2012 |
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Page 6f: Granola Cereal ~ Healthy
The Best Granola Brands: L To O
This is Page 6f of a seven-page-plus article on granola cereal, and reviews of 44 granola cereal brands and nine muesli brands. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Article Index
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Granola Reviews
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La Campagne Bakery (Favorite)
Photo above. These granolas have large, pleasantly chewy, slightly moister clusters of an oat base. All serving sizes are listed as 1.5 ounces, which I can’t translate into cup measurement. The Baked Granola (per 1.5 ounces: 200 calories, 80 fat calories, 12 g sugars, 45 mg sodium) is oat-y, chewy, sweetened just right, and spiced with a gentle hand, with bursts of sweet-tart flavor from the dried fruits. If you love nuts and seeds, there’s a Nuts and Seeds Granola (per 1.5 ounces: 200 calories, 105 fat calories, 8.6 g sugars, 55 mg sodium). This is oat-y, with a peanut butter undercurrent (this blend has no peanut butter, but it does contain peanuts). You’ll find amaranth, pecans, sunflower seeds, almonds and pepitas. The Pumpkin Spice Granola (per 1.5 ounces: 200 calories, 100 fat calories, 9 g sugars, 40 mg sodium) is a seasonal autumn variety. It has pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice) and pumpkin seeds, and it’s a nice mix of oats, seeds, nuts and fruit. Finally, I tried the Fruit Blend Granola (per 1.5 ounces: 177 calories, 69 fat calories, 14 g sugars, 44 mg sodium). The fruit (dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries and raisins) is added to this mix generously, and the tangy-sweet, chewy dried fruits are a brilliant counterpoint to the oat clusters. I can smell the butter in here when the carton is opened. The Baked Granola and Fruit Blend Granola are favorites. Website.
Malibu Granola (Organic Ingredients)
The serving size is listed as one ounce (28 grams), which I was unable to translate to a 1/2 cup serving; per one ounce: 127 calories, 58 fat calories, 6 g sugars, 5 mg sodium. The oats, honey, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are organic. This granola was roasted slightly darker than most. A light-textured blend, with the dried cranberries adding nice accents of color and flavor. Website.
Napa Farmhouse 1885 (Runner Up)
Most ingredients are certified organic. No nutrition information provided. This granola is packaged in mason jars. The Granola with Maple Glazed Walnuts contains a plethora of raisins. The granola itself is crunchy and oat-y, and there’s good textural contrast. It’s got some maple flavor, and there’s a bit of salt just at the finish. Dried cranberries and a good amount of pecans are in the Granola with Maple Glazed Pecans. This blend isn’t as sweet as the others made by this business. My preference here was the Granola with Maple Glazed Almonds. Dried apricots are everywhere in this granola, and it’s maple-y tasting. It would have been a favorite had it not been for the salt taste at the finish, but it’s still very good. Website.
Nature’s Path Organic (Certified Kosher, Certified Organic, Non-GMO)
Certified organic. Certified kosher by The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations. Certified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Project. The Pumpkin Flax Granola (serving size listed as 3/4 cup. Per 1/2 cup: 173.2 calories, 59.9 fat calories, 6.7 g sugars, 30 mg sodium) contained no fruit. It was composed of some larger clusters and many smaller ones of an oat-based mixture with plenty of flax and pumpkin seeds. Quite dry. Website.
Oat Cuisine (Runner Up)
All varieties use organic rolled oats. The Original Granola (per 1/2 cup: 281 calories, 101 fat calories, 11 g sugars, 5 mg sodium) seemed drier and a little sweeter-tasting than most but was still a pleasant blend. The Cranberry Granola (per 1/2 cup: 275 calories, 94 fat calories, 12 g sugars, 5 mg sodium) was also good; the large coconut flakes in this mix seem to go especially well here. Although it seemed sweeter than the other varieties, the Oil-Free Granola (per 1/2 cup: 241 calories, 61 fat calories, 12 g sugars, 5 mg sodium) really wasn’t, if you look at the sugar content. This blend was too dry for me. And the Ginger Pecan Granola (per 1/2 cup: 282 calories, 116 fat calories, 12 g sugars, 19 mg sodium) was stuffed full of pecan halves and pieces, with some ginger flavor, which made it very pleasant. Website.
Ola! Granola (Certified Kosher)
Certified kosher by Star K Kosher Certification. There’s no fruit in the Vanilla Almond (serving size listed as 1/3 cup. Per 1/2 cup: 165 calories, 52.5 fat calories, 6 g sugars, 7.5 mg sodium). A cinnamon-y, oat-y mixture with almonds. There’s a nice sweetness level, though the use of cinnamon is a bit heavy. The Cranberry Orange Pecan (serving size listed as 1/3 cup. Per 1/2 cup: 165 calories, 45 fat calories, 9 g sugars, 7.5 mg sodium) is a mix of pecans, large and small oat clusters, and the occasional cranberry; I’d like to see more fruit here. The No Nut Vanilla (no nutrition information provided on package) had a very slight vanilla presence, with some cinnamon. This granola contains no fruit or nuts. Website.
Our Farms to You (Runner Up)
If you want to see an impressive roster of granola flavors, head over to this site; there’s everything from Double Pecan to Piña Colada to Mango Berry (not every variety is always available). The Nice-N-Nutty contains no dried fruit, but has whole almonds, cashews and pecan halves. Dried blueberries present an attractive picture in the Blueberry Pecan, which also has the occasional pecan half. The Apricot Almond featured large chunks of dried apricots, with whole almonds offering a nice crunch. The Cherry Almond Pecan had a generous quantity of dried cherries, with some pecan halves and whole almonds. And the Chocolate Cherry Almond is an attractive mix of semisweet chocolate chips, dried cherries and almonds. All of the blends had a slight maple syrup flavor, with good texture from the oats and coconut in addition to their other ingredients. No nutrition information provided. Website.
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