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!

 

Advertisement

Oatmeal Cookies

I love oatmeal cookies, so I was glad to see this recipe in kingarthurflour.com‘s Best Basic Recipe Collection. As bakers, I think we tend to have our favorite go-to recipes, so it’s fun to bake through this collection and try some new things. I love raisins in oatmeal cookies, but in my family there are a few who think it is a crime to put raisins in cookies. A poor, unsuspecting person sees dark brown lumps in their oatmeal cookie and they think they will bite into a chunk of chocolate and then aaaaahhhhhh! It’s a raisin! Trickery of the worst kind! This is why I usually put butterscotch or chocolate chips in my oatmeal cookies. ;o)

4 Tbl butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vinegar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup flour
1½ cups oats, old-fashioned or quick
1 cup raisins (or other mix-in, chocolate chips, nuts, etc)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets, light-colored preferred. Beat together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vinegar until fairly smooth; a few tiny bits of butter may still show. Beat in the egg, again beating until smooth. Add the baking soda and flour, beating until well incorporated. Add the oats (and raisins), stirring to combine.

Drop the dough in 1 1/4″ balls onto the prepared baking sheets; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. If you’re measuring, this is about 2 level tablespoons (using a tablespoon measure, not a dinner spoon). Space the cookies 2″ apart; they’ll spread. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, reversing the pans halfway through (top rack to bottom, bottom to top). For softer cookies, bake the lesser amount of time; for crunchier, the longer amount. At 12 minutes, especially if you’re baking on a dark pan without parchment, a few of the cookies on the edge should just barely be showing a pale brown around their edges. At 14 minutes, they should be starting to color all over. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool right on the pan. Yield: 22 to 24 cookies.

More Oatmeal Cookies!

    

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.

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

When our daughter came for a visit she made these delicious healthy bars. The recipe is found at sallysbakingaddiction.com. I am thinking maybe the name Healthier Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars would be better. They probably are healthier than many other dessert bars, but there are still a fair amount of calories in each bar. So, it’s all about portion control, or, do as my husband and I did and just have these bars for dinner! We are so happy…and healthy!

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (almond milk works)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Optional add-ins – chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, Craisins, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. With electric mixer, cream brown sugar and peanut butter. Mix in vanilla. Add flour, oats, baking soda, and salt; mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips, raisins, and walnuts (or whatever add-ins you choose). Press dough into prepared baking pan. Bake 17-20 minutes, until bars are lightly golden and set in center. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares.
Makes 16 squares, approx 240 calories each.

One Year Ago: Chewy Granola Bars

Two Years Ago: Cinnamon Sugar Cookies Honey Buttercream

Three Years Ago: White Chocolate Blondies Raspberry Pecans

Four Years Ago: Zucchini Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies

Harvest Apple Pie

Here’s another pie! Can you ever have enough pie? I think not. This one is filled with apples, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Fall time all wrapped in a flaky pastry!

4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
zest of 1 orange
1½ cups fresh cranberries
1 cup raisins
1/2  cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbl butter, cut in chunks
Pie Pastry for double crust pie

Preheat oven to 400°. Line 9″ deep dish pie plate with half the pastry for bottom crust. In large bowl, stir together apples, orange zest, cranberries, raisins, and walnuts. Add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss gently until all is well coated. Pour into prepared pie plate, dot with chunks of butter, roll out pastry for top crust, cover and crimp. Sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cupcakes w/Chocolate Buttercream

Two Years Ago: Fresh Cranberry Cake w/Caramel Sauce

Three Years Ago: Favorite Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Chewy Granola Bars

These granola bars are so easy to make, a perfectly delicious treat! Recipe from moneysavingmom.com.

2½ cups Rice Krispie Cereal
1¾ cups oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup each of other mix-ins (raisins, coconut, craisins, nuts, sunflower seed, etc.)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Combine Rice Krispies, oats, wheat germ, and mix-ins in large bowl. In saucepan, mix honey, brown sugar, and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the mixture comes to a complete boil for 30-60 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Pour over dry mixture and stir until well coated. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then gently stir in mini chocolate chips. Press into sprayed 9″x13″ pan. Let cool and set up then cut into bars.

One Year Ago: Dark Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Two Years Ago: Peanutty Pretzel Brownies

Three Years Ago: Cookies’n Cream Fudge

Carrot Cake Sweet Rolls

A box carrot cake mix is the beginning for this idea. A carrot cake mix made into sweet roll dough with cinnamon sugar filling and cream cheese frosting, I think they are yummy!

Carrot Cake Sweet Rolls:
1¼ cups warm water (110°)
1 pkt (2¼ tsp) dry yeast
1 box carrot cake mix
1 Tbl oil
2½ cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbl cinnamon
1/2-3/4 cup raisins

In bowl of mixer, pour warm water, sprinkle yeast over, then cake mix.  Let sit 5 minutes.  Add oil, flour, salt, and raisins; mix all together.  Knead.  Let rise 1 hour.  Knead lightly again, roll out to 18″x8″ rectangle. Spread butter over dough. Stir together sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Roll up from long end to long end, pinch seam.  Cut into 12 rounds (I use thread, place under dough, cross ends over and pull quickly through dough), put in sprayed 13″×9″ pan.  Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake in preheated 375° oven for 18-20 minutes. Cool to just warm and spread with frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

With electric mixer, whip cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

    

One Year Ago: Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies

Two Years Ago: White Chocolate Candy Cane Fudge

 

Chunky Oatmeal Cookies

I can remember listening to a conversation between my husband and son about how disappointing it is to bite into an oatmeal cookie expecting the dark pieces apparent to be chocolate chips and finding they are raisins! Life is SO cruel! Well, I love raisins in my oatmeal cookies. This recipe is my version of a recipe I remember my grandmother making when we would visit each summer, great memories of visiting Mt. Pleasant Utah. Yes, there are raisins in these oatmeal cookies, but disguised with chocolate chips and pecans. Hopefully, they are not too painful to choke down!

1 cup raisins
3 Tbl water
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1½ cup flour
1¼ cup old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chip
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Put raisins and water in micro safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave 2 minutes. Remove, uncover, stir, and let cool. Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl with electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and dump in raisins; mix well. Add flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Drop by scoopfuls onto sprayed or Silpat lined baking sheet, press down just a little. Bake for 11-12 minutes or until golden.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Snack Cake

Two Years Ago: Triple Layer Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

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

Fruit & Nut Muffins

Craving a muffin! I made these a little sweet, and then, the bits of fruit give it a little more sweet! The nuts give them bites of crunch. Craving satisfied!

1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/3 cup golden raisins
2¼ cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Put raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, and golden raisins in small bowl and cover with hot water; let sit about 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix together sour cream, milk, oil, and egg; pour into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Drain water from fruit and gently fold in fruit, pecans, and walnuts. Scoop into a 12 cup muffin pan, sprayed with non stick spray or lined with papers. Sprinkle with sugar crystals if desired. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

One Year Ago: Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Two Years Ago: Date Nut Pinwheel Cookies

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

Fruit & Honey Graham Granola

It is summer, and I always make granola. Why? Well, I did it one year to take with us on our family vacation to Sun Valley ID and then did it the next year and now…well it’s tradition! We can’t go without it, it just wouldn’t be right! Great for breakfast or snacking anytime.

3 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups chopped (chunks) graham crackers
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dried apple
1/2 cup chopped dried banana
3/4 cup Craisins
1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350°. In large bowl, stir together Rice Krispies, graham cracker, oats, almonds, raisins, apple, banana, and Craisins. In medium bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, and honey. Pour over oat mixture and gently stir to coat. Spread evenly in two baking sheets sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 8 minutes, take out and stir. Trade tray placement in oven, top goes to bottom rack and bottom goes to top rack, bake for 8 minutes more. Remove and stir, trade placement of trays in oven again and bake for 8 minutes more. Watch closely, don’t want the granola too brown (stir again if necessary). After removing after third 8 minute baking, let trays of granola cool completely. Break into chunks, desired size and keep in in airtight container. Ready to crunch, yum!

You might want to check out these other granola recipes:
Pumpkin Pie Granola
Dark Chocolate Peanut Granola
Homemade Granola

 

One Year Ago: Summer Vegetable Tian

Two Years Ago: Jam Filled Sweet Muffins