Are you a “Granola“? I grew up in the 60’s with a mom ahead of her time who embraced whole foods. I remember making and eating granola long before it was cool. So I guess, I am a Granola, I’ve always loved the nutty, crunchy, lightly sweetened oaty breakfast snack. This recipe for soft baked granola is so versatile with a bonus for yogurt parfaits!
Word origins have always been interesting to me, as I was thinking about doing this post, I wondered where in the world did we get the word “Granola” from? Perhaps it’s a twist on the word “grains”, but while I haven’t vetted this article, it is certainly an interesting story on the alleged history of granola and how the name came about; actually born out of a couple cereal moguls you will still recognize today. Read it if you have the time.
Granola made in the Slow Cooker
Some might balk at the very first ingredient, it’s ½ cup of melted butter, you can use a good oil, I like Avocado in its place, or if you like coconut, replace it with same measurements of melted coconut oil. This makes a large batch, so don’t let a half a cup of any fat scare you away. Plus I use grass fed butter, well the butter wasn’t grass fed, but the cows that gave the milk were…ha!
How to Make Soft Baked, Chewy Granola
Lightly spray your crock pot with some non-stick spray, then pour in your melted butter* and toss in your 5-6 cups of rolled (not quick) oats and give it a quick stir. You can also wait and pour the butter at the very end.
*You can melt the butter in the crock pot, but it’ll take a bit. I usually melt my butter on the stovetop and transfer to crock.
Add a generous tablespoon (or two) of ground flax meal (or whole flax seeds if you prefer the seeds), my boys don’t notice the meal which is why I use that instead.
Additionally toss in a couple tablespoons of light brown sugar, this is optional, but I am making a Maple Pecan Granola, and brown sugar and maple go hand in hand. Pour in a couple of teaspoons of vanilla.
Likewise, add some Chia seeds
(optional), but the more good stuff the better, no?! Every time I see a chia seed I am reminded of the Cha-Cha-Chia Pet commercials of old. Do they still have those? Recently I’ve discovered hemp hearts as well, they are delicious; raw, tossed in yogurt or in your granola.
Finally, add your sea salt, yes salt, it brings out the ultimate “oaty-ness” of the oats…yum.
Now, add your honey; good local raw & unfiltered honey*, is so very good for you.
THE 411 ON HONEY
Did you know that honey is the only food that won’t spoil? It has an indefinite shelf life if kept closed. It will crystallize and harden, yet all you need to do is place the container in a pan with hot water (not boiling) until it returns to its original honey-like state.
It does have bacteria in it, which is good for anyone over the age of 1, but this bacteria can be dangerous for infants, not that you’ll feed your infant granola. Although I know my mom gave me raw honey in my bottle when I was a baby…and I’m okay, I think, well maybe, it’s debatable!
Lastly, add pure maple syrup, the real stuff If you use maple syrup, reduce your honey by the amount of syrup you add. If only a few tablespoons then don’t worry about.
Give it all a good stir with a wooden spoon, it will start out rather clumpy as things stick to the honey and syrup, but don’t worry as it melts and cooks it will mix about.
Set crockpot on high and place the wooden spoon between the lid so that you prop the lid open slightly, this allows some heat and steam to escape while it’s baking.
Stir every 15 minutes for about 1 to 1-½ hours, being careful towards the end as it can actually burn, so watch around that hour mark.
When it’s finished to your liking, pour onto a large piece of parchment or wax paper or onto a cookie sheet to allow to cool completely before bagging.
Scoop granola into quart size freezer baggies (it will make between 3-4 full baggies worth). I like to keep one in the cupboard and the rest in the freezer, or give it away, it makes a lovely hostess gift or neighbor gift.
MAKING A YOGURT GRANOLA PARFAIT
My favorite way eating this granola (besides sneaking handfuls) is as a mid morning snack with a little vanilla yogurt (try Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt) and berries or lemon curd!
I love serving these yogurt parfaits during a breakfast or brunch, they are such a fun, healthy and wholesome dessert, treat, protein packed breakfast.
Try it with vanilla yogurt, blackberries and pomegranate arils, a favorite combo of mine.
WOW! Give it a go and let me know what you think or your unique flavor combinations!
Choose a couple of pretty glasses for the yogurt parfaits; any glass will do (a mason jar, wine glass, martini class or pretty glasses or bowls). Alternate layers, starting with granola, then yogurt and berries, topped with more granola and finally a dollop of yogurt on top with a few additional berries.
Suddenly plain ol’ granola all dressed up and is looking a lot like dessert!
Makes a great gift too! I’d love to hear your take on it, what you combine to make it your own!
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Basic Crock Pot Soft Granola
Soft, hearty and chewy textured granola. Easily customizable to your tastes. Delicious on it's own with some milk or in a yogurt bowl or parfait.
Ingredients
BASIC SOFT GRANOLA
- 5-6 cups rolled oats, not quick oats
- ½ cup butter, melted (or ¼ cup melted butter + ¼ cup oil or replace butter with ½ cup oil of choice, try coconut oil)
- 2 Tablespoons Flax Seeds or Flax Meal (Optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (optional)
- 1/4 cup Organic Hemp Hearts
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup honey
OPTIONAL ADD INS
- ½ cup slivered almonds or any other nut/seed of choice
- ½ cup shredded or flaked coconut (unsweetened)
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dates, dried cherries, etc)
- ¼ cup maple syrup (reduce honey, by ¼ cup in most cases)
Instructions
- I change up my ingredients all the time; the beauty of this recipe is that it is totally customizable, so feel free to make your own or follow one of mine.
- You'll need a larger crockpot for this recipe, if you have a small cooker, then reduce the amounts. This can also easily be doubled in a large crockpot. Spray crock with non-stick spray. Add all dry ingredients to crockpot, give it a stir.
- Add melted butter (or oil) and honey (or maple syrup) and stir well. Turn crockpot on high, venting the lid with a wooden spoon. Stir well every 15 minutes, cooking for 1 - ½ hours. Watching close at the end as it can burn.
- Turn onto wax or parchment paper or onto a cookie sheet to cool. Add any after cooling mix-ins (such as chocolate chips/chunks). Package in quart size freezer baggies and freeze any unused portions.
For Yogurt Bowls or Parfaits
- Place a small portion of granola on the bottom of the bowl/glass. Next layer the majority of your yogurt, reserving a generous dollop for the top. Add seasonal berries on top of the yogurt (reserving 2-3 berries for top). Add the rest of your granola, finish with final dollop of yogurt and reserved berries or pomegranate arils. Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to serve, but not much longer than a couple hours, unless you don't mind the granola really soft.
Notes
! MAPLE PECAN GRANOLA
Basic Granola Recipe
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
⅓ teaspoon ginger (optional) above spices may be replaced with 2 rounded teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
Reduce honey to ¼ cup and add ¼ cup pure maple syrup
! COCONUT PECAN GRANOLA
Basic Granola Recipe
1/2-1 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded or flakes
1 cup toasted pecan pieces (toast in 350 oven for 5-6 minutes)
1 handful whole pecans (optional)
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar (optional)
After it's cooled slightly, sprinkle on some additional sea salt, toss to combine
I like Flaky Sea Salt
! HAWAIIAN GRANOLA
Basic Granola Recipe
½ - 1 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded or flaked
½ - 1 cup roasted (salted ok) macadamia nuts, rough chopped
Replace butter with ½ cup melted coconut oil (or just ¼ cup oil and ¼ cup butter)
! DARK CHOCOLATE GRANOLA (my husbands favorite)
Basic Granola Recipe
⅓ cup cocoa powder
½ cup dried cranberries or cherries (optional)
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks *mixed in after granola has cooled)
! TRAIL MIX GRANOLA
Basic Granola Recipe
½ cup cashews (raw or roasted/salted) rough chopped if desired
¼ cup roasted pumpkin seeds
¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds
½ cup walnuts, rough chopped
½ cup pecans, rough chopped
½ cup dried fruit (raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried mango, etc)
Additional ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
½ cup chocolate chips, added after granola has cooled (optional)
! YOGURT PARFAITS
1 cup vanilla yogurt (or your favorite, I love Noosa Vanilla Bean yogurt or try making your own yogurt
¼ cup prepared granola
¼ cup berries of choice (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries (sliced), pomegranate arils, etc)
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 32 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 97mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g
The nutritional information is estimated and may not be entirely accurate, at times it pulls information for suggestions and options which may increase calories, etc. Nutritional information will change based on used ingredients, quantities used, etc.
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I’ve never made granola in my crockpot, now I’ll have to try. We are big fans of parfaits too. Great recipe!
Hope you do!! Blessings on you my friend!
OK, consider myself schooled! Did not know I could make granola in a crock pot! And those parfaits! The perfect brunch course. Thanks!
Thank you so much Lynn, I didn’t realize it either, until I was on the hunt for how to make it softer!!