Crispy Clustered Granola.....Good for snacking!

I really like some of the batches of granola I've made over the years, but I have never made a recipe that resulted in big clusters in the mix. When I'm snacking on granola, I love a good cluster. It is just easier to grab and munch. And aside from eating it for breakfast, I have been snacking on granola, a lot. Carbo loading I guess.

Today I decided to try making a batch with Rice Crispie Cereal in the mix as well. I also read about a method of adding in an egg white for the last ten minutes of baking to help clump the mixture together. This did help some cluster to form woohoo! But I think the one egg white was not enough to mix in with the amount of granola I had so it wasn't all clustery.

Here is today's recipe:

Crispy Clustered Granola

Ingredients:

- 4 cups of Rice Crispie Cereal

- 3 cups of Rolled Oats

- 1 cup chopped Almonds

- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/3 cup brown sugar

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- 1/3 cup honey

- 1 egg white

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 275 degrees

2. Combine cereal, oats, nuts, seeds, and baking powder and set aside.

2. Combine oil, honey and sugar in a small sauce pan and heat on medium to low heat until sugar dissolves.

3. Add salt to liquid mixture and then pour over dry mixture and combine.

4. Spread sticky mixture on a sheet pan and bake for an hour.

5. Make sure to stir occasionally. I give the mixture a little stir every 15 minutes.

6. When only ten minutes are left, pour an egg white over the granola and mix to spread it over as much of the granola as possible, then put the pan back in for the last ten minutes to cook.

 

7. After it has cooled add any fruit mixtures you would like to throw in. Today I went with raisins!

Snack on!

Tropical Granola

 I make granola a lot. This is my 3rd batch since I moved into my new place June 8th. Excessive? I don't always post about it because a lot of times it is just a repeat performance. I do mix up the ingredients from time to time.

Today I was feeling pretty tropical. My mom has helped me discover used coconut in things. I used to not be a fan, but it is growing on me. This recipe also has dried pineapple and mango in it. YUM! Here's the recipe:

Tropical Granola

Ingredients:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons wheat germ
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dried mango
- 1/2 cup dried pineapple


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients.
3. In a pyrex measuring cup, mix together the sugar, honey, oil, water and salt.
4. Heat up goop for 1 minute in the microwave to liquify the siguar.
5. Stir well and then pour over dry ingredients.
6. Mix to coat all oats thoroughly and then transfer mixture to a sheet pan.
7. Cook for an hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
8. After you remove it from the oven let granola cool before adding dried fruit.

No better gift then Granola Crunchy Goodness.

I haven't been posting about all of the batches.....but I have been making granola a lot lately! A lot. One week I made a batch, ate it rapidly over only a couple days and then wished it wasn't all gone and made a second batch 3 days later! So while I was on a roll, I talked the fam into making some batches to give away for Christmas gifts.

Cranberry Nut Granola

Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
3. Add in wet ingredients and mix to coat all oats thoroughly.
4. Pour mixture onto sheet pan
5. Cook for an hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
6. After you remove it from the oven let granola cool before adding cranberries.

Maple Almond Granola

I love making homemade granola. The first time I ever made it, I followed Alton Brown’s recipe (minus the coconut.) It was amazing. It is super sugary and almost too candy like; right up my alley! Since then when make it, I don’t go to great lengths to measure things. I kind of just throw a bunch of crap in and test it to make sure it tastes good and then cook it up.

One thought I must share from my experimenting: I usually use honey because it is way cheaper then maple syrup, but man, maple syrup makes for an even tastier glue! This batch got its extra scrumptious base thanks to Leslie’s bridal shower favor.

I made a batch today, which came out tasty as always. Here’s the run down:


Ingredients:
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
- Next add in wet ingredients and mix to coat all oats thoroughly.
- Pour mixture onto sheet pans or anything you have the has sides, so mixture won’t pour out into your oven. I made do with 4 pie pans!
- Cook for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
- After you remove it from the oven, you can add any dried fruit you desire!