Soft-Baked Crockpot Granola with Yogurt Parfaits

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!

SOFT BAKED CROCKPOT GRANOLA WITH 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.

SOFT BAKED GRANOLA THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE

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 Granola in your Crockpot or Slow Cooker

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.

BASIC RECIPE FOR SOFT BAKED GRANOLA

That’s the basic recipe, now I’ll show you how to make this luscious Maple Pecan Granola. Start by adding a cup of pecans (or a variety of your favorite nuts), chopped or whole, whatever floats your boat

Add your spices, it’s okay to eyeball it, absolute measurements are not necessary for granola, make it to your taste. 

I thought it would be nice to add some pumpkin-y spices; so I added ½ teaspoon nutmeg and slightly under that of cloves, add ¼ teaspoon of ginger if you like it as well.

What in the world is up with my hand? Hands aren’t very pretty to take pictures of, note to self.

Now, add your honey; good local raw & unfiltered honey*, is so very good for you.

A LITTLE HONEY 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!

ENJOY THESE OTHER FRESH RECIPES:

• Homemade Creamy Greek Yogurt
• Red, White and Blueberry Yogurt Parfaits
• Luscious Lemon Curd
• Glazed Raspberry Blueberry Scones

I’d love it if you enjoy this recipe if you’d comment and rate the recipe in the recipe card. 

Hashtag any recipes you make from The Fresh Cooky #thefreshcooky or tag me @thefreshcooky on Instagram to be featured on our stories!

Yield: 6-8 cups

Basic Crock Pot Soft Granola with Yogurt Parfaits

Print

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.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

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)
• 2 Tablespoons Flax Seeds or Flax Meal (Optional)
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (optional)
• 1/4 cup Organic Hemp Hearts (optional)
• 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)

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 Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

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)
• ¼ cup prepared granola
• ¼ cup berries of choice (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries (sliced), pomegranate arils, etc)

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

1. 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

Copyright 2017 | This recipe for Basic Soft Granola was first featured on The Fresh Cooky.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

Amount Per Serving:Calories: Total Fat: g Saturated Fat: g Trans Fat: g Unsaturated Fat: g Cholesterol: mg Sodium: mg Carbohydrates: g Fiber: g Sugar: g Protein: g

The nutritional information is estimated and may not be entirely accurate.

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