Author Notes
My best friend loves granola, and her boyfriend is a peanut butter fiend, so I decided early in the holiday season that their Christmas gift would include peanut butter granola. Most of my attempts yielded granola that had a nice crunch, but very little peanut butter flavor; the more peanut butter I added, the less crunchy the granola. After tweaking and trying and cussing and buzzing through more oats than anyone should, I finally got a result that I'd be glad to share. The texture is tender but crunchy; it's nicely sweet, but less sweet than you'd expect. The recipe also works well by subbing almond butter and chopped almonds for the peanut products. —campagnes
Ingredients
-
2 cups
rolled oats
-
1/2 cup
sunflower seed kernels (if salted, omit the salt in the recipe)
-
1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1/2 cup
chopped peanuts
-
1/2 cup
creamy peanut butter
-
1/4 cup
peanut or vegetable oil
-
1/4 cup
lightly packed brown sugar
-
1/4 cup
honey (I sub maple syrup for my vegan friends)
-
2 teaspoons
vanilla extract
-
1 teaspoon
salt
-
1 cup
dried fruit, optional (suggestions: raisins, dates, figs, pears, snipped into small pieces if necessary)
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
-
Combine oats, seeds, nuts, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
-
In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter, oil, brown sugar, honey or syrup, vanilla, and salt (if using). Pour mixture over granola and stir until oats and seeds are fully coated.
-
Spread gently in an ungreased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until granola is toasted, stirring gently every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely in pan.
-
Stir in fruit, if using, and store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a month.
See what other Food52ers are saying.