As the name implies, this trifle begins with granola, which is simply a mixture of rolled oats, nuts, and sometimes coconut that are moistened with oil (or butter) and maple syrup (or honey) and then baked until golden. While you can use a commercially made granola, this cereal is a snap to make, so I have included a recipe for making your own. I like to use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick cooking for making granola. The difference between the two is their thickness. Old fashioned oats are thicker because to make quick-cooking rolled oats the oat groats are first cut into pieces before being steamed and flattened. Although they are often interchangeable in recipes I recommend using old-fashioned rolled oats in this recipe as I prefer their thicker texture and better flavor. Once you have the granola in hand, next comes the yogurt layer and you can use any flavor of yogurt you like. The final layer is fresh fruit, and again, you can use whatever fruit you like. While your choice will often be influenced by season, some excellent choices are bananas, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, berries, apples, pears or melons. It is best to make these trifles shortly being serving so that the granola stays crisp and crunchy. But what I often like to do is to simply let each person make their own so that they can make their trifle as large, or as small, as they like.

This trifle's roots seem to be in Scotland. It is there that I found a recipe in F. Marian McNeill's Recipes from Scotland for what is called a Scottish Cranachan or Cream-Crowdie that combines toasted rolled oats (coarse oatmeal) with whipped cream that is flavored with Scotch whiskey or rum. There is also the suggestion to add a handful or two of fresh berries for sweetness. Blueberries, raspberries, or brambles were suggested. Another similar trifle recipe was found in Orlando Murin's Dangerous Desserts for a Highland Flummery which again takes Scotch oats browned in butter and sugar and layers it with a flavored whipped cream topped with fresh berries. Both of these recipes sound delicious and since whipped cream is used instead of yogurt it would make for a delicious afternoon snack or even a hearty winter dessert. Definitely worth a try.