Home Made Granola ~ Peanut Butter Flavor



I love granola.  I love to eat it over vanilla yogurt, ice cream, or just by the handful out of the jar.

It can be a bit pricey in the store, and full of some questionable ingredients.  I've been making my own for years. It is so simple and the possibilities for variations are endless.

Today, I am sharing with you my recipe for Peanut Butter Granola.  I've included Weight Watcher PointsPlus for those of you who need that info.





Peanut Butter Granola
Makes 30 servings
1 serving = 1/4 cup (1 oz)
WW Points+ Value:  4


4 cups old-fashion rolled oats, uncooked
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped, dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup coconut flakes, sweetened or not
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple sauce, sweetened or not
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275 and line a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides) with parchment paper or foil.  No spray needed.

In a large bowl combine oats through cinnamon, stirring well.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine peanut butter, honey, oil, & apple sauce.  Heat on med-low, stirring occasionally,  until peanut butter dissolves and all is well combined.  Remove from heat and add in vanilla, stirring well.

Pour wet ingredients over oat mixture.  Stir well.  Don't give up!  It will all eventually get coated-I promise!  Once all of the dry ingredients are wet, pour the mixture out onto your cookie sheet.  Level it out into a smooth, even layer.

Place cookie sheet on center rack in preheated oven.  Bake for 15 minutes, then pull out cookie sheet and stir granola slightly to distribute around for even cooking.  (What you are trying to accomplish here is for all of the granola to bake, ie "dry out", at the same rate.  By stirring every so often, you prevent uneven cooking.)

After the first stir, put granola back into the oven for another 15 minutes.  Remove to stir again.  Repeat this cycle 2 more times for a total of 60 minutes cooking time.  *You do need to watch that last cycle because, depending on your oven, it may not need to go that long.  If it's starting to look mostly dry, take it out.

Once the granola is done cooking, take it out of the oven and let it cool ON THE COOKIE SHEET.  Don't worry if it is still a little soggy after an hour of cooking.  It will crisp up as it cools.

Store in an airtight container (mason jar, ziploc bag, tupperware, etc.) in your pantry for up to 1 month...but it won't last that long!

Enjoy.

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