Cinnamon Maple Granola

A Parker summertime tradition, homemade granola. My husband’s favorite is cinnamon, my favorite is dark chocolate peanut. It’s great for snacking, eating as cereal with milk, or sprinkled on yogurt or ice cream (especially delicious on homemade ice cream!). You can follow the basic recipe and make it your own by adding your favorite ingredients.

 

5 cups rice krispies
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup rough chopped walnuts
2 cups raisins
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup craisins
3 Tbl cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.  In large bowl, mix together rice krispies, oats, walnuts, raisins, coconut, dates, craisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together.  Add maple syrup, salt, and vanilla.  Pour over dry ingredients and stir gently until thoroughly combined.  Spread out evenly on two cookie sheets that have been sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake for 8 minutes, remove and gently stir and spread out again.  Bake another 8 minutes, remove, gently stir and spread out again.  Bake 8 minutes more.  Remove and cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

More Granola!

 

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Dessert

Who says pumpkin desserts are just for Fall, they tastes really good during quarantine too.

1½ cups crushed gingersnaps* (about 30 cookies)
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 can (15oz) pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
5 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
nutmeg
maple syrup
whipped cream

In a small bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 13×9-in. baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, cinnamon and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust; sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of baking dish to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into squares; serve with syrup, if desired (I forgot the maple syrup in the picture!) and whipped cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Recipe from tasteofhome.com.
*I used Biscoff cookies, chocolate cookies would be good too.

Simply Perfect Pancakes

How about a stack of pancakes to make quarantine a little better? This is recipe #9 on kingarthurflour.com list of Best Basic Recipes. I have to admit, I haven’t had pancakes since…well, I don’t know when. So, this was a treat! Light and fluffy, an amazing vehicle for getting butter and pure maple syrup into my mouth!

2 large eggs
1¼ cups milk
3 Tbl melted butter or oil
1½ cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbl sugar or 1/4 cup malted milk powder*

Beat the eggs and milk until light and foamy, about 3 minutes at high speed of a stand or hand mixer. Stir in the butter or oil. Whisk the dry ingredients together to evenly distribute the salt, baking powder and sweetener (*I used powdered French vanilla coffee creamer). Gently and quickly mix into the egg and milk mixture. Let the batter rest for at least 15 minutes (hard to wait, but an important step), while the griddle is heating; it”ll thicken slightly.

Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat, or set an electric griddle to 375°F. Lightly grease frying pan or griddle. The pan or griddle is ready if a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the lightly greased griddle. Bake on one side until bubbles begin to form and break, about 2 minutes; then turn the pancakes and cook the other side until brown, about 1½ to 2 minutes. Turn over only once. Serve immediately.

 

Chocolate Nutella Granola

Is granola still healthy if you add Nutella and chocolate chips? All the healthy elements are still there so let’s say yes! We love to eat it by the handful, yesterday we had it with vanilla yogurt and berries, and today I added banana and vanilla almond milk and had the most delicious lunch.

5 cups crispy rice cereal
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup rough chopped pecans
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups raisins
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup dried cranberries
2 Tbl cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. In large bowl, mix together crispy rice cereal, oats, wheat germ, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, dates, dried cranberries, and cinnamon. In saucepan, melt butter, Nutella, and brown sugar together. Add maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and stir gently until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread out evenly on two cookie sheets that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 8 minutes, remove and gently stir and spread out again. Bake another 8 minutes, remove, gently stir and spread out again. Bake 8 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool completely. Store in airtight container. Eat as a snack, in a bowl with milk or on top of ice cream, yogurt, you decide.

Peanut Butter & Banana Oatmeal Bake

This is a delicious way to eat your oatmeal!

4 cups old fashioned oats
1½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2¹⁄3 cups almond milk (or other milk)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy

Preheat oven to 375°. In medium bowl, stir together oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In large bowl, stir together milk, brown sugar, vanilla, maple syrup, and lemon juice. With electric mixer on lowest setting, mix in bananas and peanut butter. Add oat mixture and mix just until incorporated. Pour mixture into sprayed 13″x9″ baking pan, spread evenly. Bake 20-25 minutes, until set. Serve while hot on a plate or in a bowl with syrup, cream, milk, bananas, raisins, you decide! Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in refrigerator for 5-7 days and reheated. You can make half a batch and bake in 8″x8″ or 9″x9″ baking pan. Recipe from shelikesfood.com.

Other Breakfast Ideas:

 

 

Coconut Pecan Oatmeal Bread

Add a little crunch and chewy to your bread. This is great to eat a plain slice or toast it. I love coconut!

1 cup warm water (110°)
1 (2¼ tsp) pkt dry yeast
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tbl oil
1 tsp coconut extract
2½-3 cups flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp salt
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

In bowl of stand mixer, pour warm water, sprinkle yeast, and then maple syrup over yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add oil, coconut extract, 2½ cups flour, oats, salt, coconut, and pecans. Add more flour, up to 1/2 cup, if necessary, to make dough that just comes together. Mix and knead. Turn out into sprayed bowl, turn dough over to coat. Let rise in warm place 45-60 minutes. Shape into loaf and put in sprayed loaf pan. Let rise in warm place about 30-45 minutes. Bake in preheated 375° oven for 30-35 minutes.

One Year Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Bars

Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Covered Oreos

Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls using a quick bread instead of a yeast bread, I like it. So did my husband and sons. Recipe from bakingdom.com.

  

Cinnamon Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 Tbl butter, melted

Combine brown sugar, sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir with fork. Set aside.

Dough:
3 cups flour
3 Tbl sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
6 Tbl butter, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup

In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add buttermilk, syrup, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, and stir until just combined. Transfer dough to a floured work surface and knead until smooth (it will still be very soft and a little sticky, but will be smoother and less lumpy). Place in lightly floured bowl, cover, and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a 9″ square pan with non-stick spray. Roll out chilled dough into a rectangle about 18″ X 8″ on floured surface. Brush 2 tablespoons of the melted butter over dough. Pour cinnamon filling over dough and spread evenly, leaving about a 1/2 inch along one long edge. Press filling down to pack it on the dough.

Roll up to create a tightly rolled log (be gentle, as this will likely stick to the counter a bit, use flour and spatula to help). Pinch seam closed and lay seam side down. Cut into 9 even pieces (about 2″ each), and transfer to prepared pan. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until golden brown.

Maple Icing:
2 Tbl butter, softened
3 Tbl maple syrup
1 to 2 tsp milk
1 cup powdered sugar

In medium bowl, cream butter and maple syrup, add powdered sugar. If too thick, add a teaspoon or so of milk to make drizzle consistency. Allow cinnamon rolls to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Pour icing over rolls. Serve warm.

One Year Ago Today: Almond Poppy Seed Muffins with Walnut Streusel

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Pumpkin Pie Granola

I love granola, when I make it I eat way too much of it.  I guess there are some health benefits in there somewhere.  This recipe is inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest, thanks to dashingdish.com for a great idea.  This is my version of Pumpkin Pie Granola.

6 cups old fashioned oats
3 cups crispy rice cereal (Rice Krispies)
½ cup chopped dates
¾ cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 ¼ cups pure maple syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup vanilla chips
1 cup graham cracker pieces

Preheat oven to 325°.  In large bowl, mix together oats, crispy rice cereal, dates, walnuts, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  In microwave safe bowl, warm the butter, pumpkin, maple syrup , and brown sugar until melted together.  Add vanilla.  Pour over dry ingredients and stir gently until thoroughly combined.  Spread out evenly on two Silpat lined sheets or sprayed cookie sheets.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, gently stirring a couple times and spread out again during baking (keeping track of baking time).  Remove and cool completely (granola does set up and stay in clumps as it cools).  Stir in vanilla chips and graham cracker pieces.  Eat as a snack, in a bowl with milk or on top of ice cream, yogurt, you decide.  Store in airtight container.

One Year Ago:  Oreo Truffles 

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as the Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.