Le Bon Petit Chou: Granola, two ways

My mom and I started making our own granola a few years ago, and although we mixed it up each time with different seeds, nuts, flakes, dried fruits, etc., we always followed the same basic recipe/proportions. So although each batch of granola was unique, I found myself getting bored of the same old, same old granola routine. I found a recipe on ohsheglows.com that uses applesauce, nut butter, and brown rice syrup to give the granola a certain clumpiness, which was always missing from my previous granolas. I was thrilled to see that the recipe specifically called for the maple cinnamon almond butter with hemp, chia, and flax also from Oh She Glows, which I had just made the week before!

Almond Granola (adapted from Oh She Glows)

Dry:

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
1/2 cup uncooked millet
2 tbsp flaxmeal
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

heaping 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1/4 brown rice syrup (apparently you can use other liquid sweeteners, too)
3 tbsp Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter with hemp, flax, and chia (from ohsheglows.com) or any other nut butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions:

Preheat over to 325 degrees F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, mix together the first three wet ingredients (not the extracts!) and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Then, stir in the extracts.
Add wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until everything is coated. The mixture may look dry, but don't worry, it will come together as you keep mixing.
Spread mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, stirring two times during the baking process. Allow the granola to cool completely on the baking sheet. Then, you can package it into air-tight containers.

Dry ingredients.

Wet ingredients.

All mixed together.

The finished product: crispy clusters of nutty yumminess.

Close up. This stuff is truly addicting!

This granola is sooo good. I have already eaten it plain (just off the baking sheet), in yogurt, and with milk. Very versatile, nutritious, and delicious.

I was immediately obsessed with this granola, and I wanted to share the deliciousness. Unfortunately, my mom is allergic to both nuts and apples, so I could not give her any of my granola. I was determined, however, to find a way for her to experience this new granola. Now the beauty of granola, as I previously hinted upon, is that you can really personalize it because there's no exact science to it. I looked in the pantry and the fridge, and found exactly what I was looking for: pumpkin seeds and roasted pumpkin seed butter I had made earlier (recipe from weelicious.com). With just a few tweaks to the Oh She Glows granola recipe, I was able to make a mommy-friendly version with the same clumpiness and general texture as the original recipe.

Pumpkin Seed Granola (adapted from Oh She Glows)

Dry:

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup uncooked millet
2 tbsp flaxmeal
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Wet:

2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 brown rice syrup (apparently you can use other liquid sweeteners, too)
3 tbsp pumpkin seed butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat over to 325 degrees F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small, microwave-safe bowl, mix together the first three wet ingredients (not the extracts!) and microwave on high for 60 seconds. Then, stir in the extracts.
Add wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until everything is coated. The mixture may look dry, but don't worry, it will come together as you keep mixing.
Spread mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, stirring two times during the baking process. Allow the granola to cool completely on the baking sheet. Then, you can package it into air-tight containers.