Can the real muesli please stand up. I’m not talking muesli’s trendy step sister, overnight oats, or the muesli that you find in our cereal aisle, aka granola with milk. I’m talking about this breakfast hero, Healthy On-the-Go Muesli Cereal.
I had the honor of meeting the real mccoy in Switzerland while traveling the year before the bakery opened. The original, Swiss Bircher Muesli, was created by Dr. Bircher who was a proponent of raw foods in the late 1800’s, is a cold porridge of oats, nuts, fruit, and topped with fresh apple. It’s wholesome, healthy, simple, and delicious. No cooking required.
It’s a breakfast staple in Switzerland, and rightly so. With the same comfort qualities as oatmeal, muesli raises the bar with its chill factor, natural sweetness, make-ahead convenience, transportability, and filling nature. How can you not be full with all of that stuff inside! Needless to say, I thought their muesli was genius and I put the idea in my back pocket for the bakery’s menu.
Talking about the bakery’s menu, I planned to serve breakfast and lunch, in addition to goodies and desserts. I’m a proponent of everything in moderation, so having wholesome menu offerings along side the baked goods was important to me. Sometimes you just want a delicious: (a) quick, healthy breakfast; (b) quick, healthy breakfast and a cookie; (c) cookie. My Swiss discovery was the perfect insertion for options (a) and (b). Flour & Co was the perfect escape from options (a) and (b) to option (c).
Another bonus, muesli isn’t just a quick, healthy breakfast. It’s also a rib sticker. I’m one who can’t live without breakfast, and so many breakfasts leave me hungry for a second and third meal before lunch. Really, I’m a three meal and three snack a day gal, as a rule, but when I have this muesli for breakfast, I can easily get by until (an early) lunch. It’s comforting, hearty, and filling in all the right ways.
As you might have guessed, the Healthy On-the-Go Muesli Cereal ended up being one of our most popular breakfasts at the bakery. With the labor intensive baked goods and desserts that we made each day, the muesli, in all its simplicity, was a favorite part of the menu from a production standpoint too. We were able to make great big batches ahead of time (in about 5 minutes) and portion it out as needed. We’d add milk to the next day’s portions the night before so it was ready in the morning. Grab and go.
It’s only right to pull out this recipe as we slide through September. Besides everyone heading back to school and work, and this muesli is a commute’s best friend, it has autumn written all over it. A chill in the air goes well with lots o’ nuts, dried fruit, and apple. Plus, what’s better than making a batch on the weekend, jarring it, and having a healthy breakfast set all week long. Fall is officially here (on Friday) and this muesli is official.
Healthy On-the-Go Muesli Cereal (The Real Overnight Oats)
This Meusli makes for a healthy and filling breakfast that couldn’t be easier. Make it in bulk, fill some mason jars, and soak them as needed overnight for a true grab & go energy boost in the morning. It’s full of nuts and dried fruit, plus top it with fresh apple, for a wholesomely addictive a.m. ritual.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 9 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- 5 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup raw almonds, toasted and chopped
- 2/3 cup raw pecans, toasted and chopped
- 2/3 cup raw cashews, toasted and chopped
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup flax seed meal
Milk of your choice (only add when you’re ready to soak and eat)
Instructions
To toast the nuts:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Measure each type of nut and pour (all together is fine) onto an ungreased baking sheet (use a silicone baking mat if you have one). Bake for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Check at 5 minutes and rotate the pan if they need more time. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
To make the muesli:
- While the nuts are toasting, chop the dried apricots. On the same cutting board, roughly chop the toasted nuts when cooled.
- In a bowl or reusable container, mix all ingredients together. Store in an air tight container at room temperature.
- To eat, put about 1 cup (give or take based on your hunger meter) of the dry muesli mix into a cup, bowl, or jar and cover the dried mix with the milk of your choice (I prefer whole milk). You want the liquid to go just above the oat mix. Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours. Meanwhile, chop an apple and toss it in lemon juice (to stop browning). Keep the apple in its own covered container in the refrigerator.
- In the morning when you are ready to eat the muesli, add a little more milk to the desired moisture level. I don’t like mine too dry and sometimes the oats soak up all of the excess moisture overnight, so I’ll add more milk. Sprinkle some chopped apple over the soaked muesli. Grab a spoon and enjoy.
Notes
To make your mornings a breeze, divide the dry meusli mix into individual mason jars or other easy-to-transport-and-eat containers. With lids on the jars, store them in your cupboard until you are ready to soak. The night before you want to eat the meusli, soak as per the recipe above.
For bulk preparation, like a brunch or family breakfast, put 1/2 cup to 1 cup of dry mix per person (based on the rest of your menu – less if you have lots of other food you will be serving) in a large container. Cover the dry mix with milk and let soak overnight or for at least two hours. To serve, transfer the muesli to a large serving bowl (you may need to add more milk if it looks dry) with self-serve chopped apple on the side or divide into individual bowls and top with chopped apple.
The dry muesli mix will last up to 3 months in an airtight container at room temperature.
The chopped apples will last up to 3 days when tossed in lemon juice, stored in an air tight container, and refrigerated.
If you want to make this completely raw, don’t toast the nuts. I think the toasting gives it a little something something, but it would be good without too.
Talking about nuts, they are expensive. I’ve found that TJ’s stocks all of these nuts and at some of the best prices around.
This is the recipe that we used at Flour & Co and it was a best seller. You can easily change up the nut or dried fruit combo to your preference or for variety. Have fun!
Cheers to breakfast! If you make some muesli, post a photo of it or where you take it (office, school, road trip) with the tag #flourandco!
