Extra Clumpy Peanut Butter & Maple Granola
I know I’ve shared plenty of granola here before, but I have a new favourite. This clumpy, crunchy granola is bound together with peanut butter and pure maple syrup. I KNOW!! The peanut butter adds a light crunchiness I’ve never achieved with other granola formulas – like Harvest Crunch, without the over-the-top sweetness. Next time I’ll venture into peanut butter and honey territory.
I’ve had a big baking sheet of this on my kitchen counter all afternoon, and when I had to leave the house I got all panicky for a minute that I had to leave my new bff, and wound up filling a ziplock bag of it to tuck in my pocket and sneak handfuls of. You could of course spice it up with cinnamon or a pinch of ground ginger, but I kind of like it straight-up. Of course feel free to take liberties with nuts, seeds and dried fruit, too.
Extra Clumpy Peanut Butter & Maple Granola
4-5 c. old-fashioned (large flake) oats
2 c. sliced or slivered almonds
1 c. shredded coconut
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. maple syrup (the real stuff!) or liquid honey
1 c. dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries, cherries, chopped dried figs, dates or apricotsPreheat the oven to 325F. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, coconut and salt.
In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, brown sugar and maple syrup over medium heat and stir until everything is melted and smooth.
Pour over the oat mixture and toss until well combined. Spread the mixture out onto a large rimmed sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until pale golden and crunchy/clumpy. Let cool and stir in the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container or in individual zip-lock baggies. Makes about 6 cups.
January 27 2012 06:25 pm | breakfast and grains
renee@sweetsugarbean on 27 Jan 2012 at 7:58 pm #
I’m a bit of a granola addict myself, so of course I’ll be trying this. How wild and crazy would it be to add some little dark chocolate chunks to the party?
JulieVR on 27 Jan 2012 at 10:20 pm #
I was thinking the EXACT same thing!
margo on 27 Jan 2012 at 10:35 pm #
I’m hoping this would be fine with natural PB?
Anxious to try it; yum!!
Melissa on 27 Jan 2012 at 10:35 pm #
Hmmm I think I know what I’ll be making for breakfast tomorrow!
Carolyn on 28 Jan 2012 at 1:43 pm #
Just sailing home from Antarctica (seriously — it was amazing!) and craving whole grains like crazy — this is the first thing I’m going to make when I get home. Thanks!
molly on 28 Jan 2012 at 7:47 pm #
peanut butter? serious?
man. i’m a wild-eyed devotee of the whole olive oil-maple angle, but i think this might just be brilliant. i can kind of taste it already. hmmm…
kickpleat on 28 Jan 2012 at 10:15 pm #
I love the sound of this. I love peanut butter granola but this version looks delicious. Would love to try it with some cocoa nibs!
Angela on 29 Jan 2012 at 7:08 pm #
Making this now. Smells amazing. Can’t wait to share it with friends
Reservation42 on 29 Jan 2012 at 11:09 pm #
Looks delicious!! Excited to try this recipe and so grateful you shared it with us!
mmac on 30 Jan 2012 at 9:28 am #
Made this yesterday and can’t publicly admit how much I’ve eaten already. It may cure my obsession with the yogurt parfaits from Rise Bakery, which I buy mostly for the granola.
Heidi on 30 Jan 2012 at 12:43 pm #
Just made a 1/2 batch of this (didn’t have enough for a full one) and the smell alone is out of this world. As for the taste – WOW. I might have to hide this from my hubby and kids and save it all for me. Love the idea of adding dark chocolate chips…
Ashley on 30 Jan 2012 at 2:04 pm #
This sounds amazing!! I can see why you loved it. I’ve been looking for new granola recipes and will definitely try this next.
Carolyn on 30 Jan 2012 at 5:52 pm #
love this! I used 1/2 cup of honey (total) instead of adding brown sugar. It’s great. I also stirred in some rice krispies in the last 15 minutes of baking to give it a bt of lightness. Fantastic!
Kare on 30 Jan 2012 at 8:40 pm #
Clumpy! Yes! I made a batch of Cherry, Coconut & Almond Granola to snack on while nursing my little one, but it ended up being impossible to eat one-handed. I need clumps. Peanut buttery clumps sound even better. I will have to give this one a whirl.
Sherry on 30 Jan 2012 at 9:08 pm #
I made 2 batches and it didn’t create the clusters you have in the photo. Should I double up on peanut butter and honey?
Jennifer Jo on 31 Jan 2012 at 7:12 pm #
I made this, using honey instead of maple syrup. (http://bit.ly/A6kB3i) I didn’t get the clusters either, but I suspect that’s because I used five cups of oats. Next time I’ll use only four.
brigitte on 04 Feb 2012 at 2:51 pm #
I made it! Completly addictive !Hubby wants some for breakfast every morning ! Thanks
Stephanie on 06 Feb 2012 at 2:38 pm #
Oh my goodness! How I don’t have this in my kitchen right now is beyond me… it looks delicious! Now I know what I’m going to be eating for breakfast for the rest of the week…
Who Doesn’t Love Granola ? on 09 Feb 2012 at 7:46 am #
[...] came across this recipe yesterday which calls for peanut butter and looks delicious. I will definitely try it but [...]
suchalab on 10 Feb 2012 at 11:11 am #
what is the trick to the clusters? got some but alot of it was vey individual, did I stir to much initially instead of tossing? would that be the make or break technique? Smells great tho!
Nikki6 on 10 Feb 2012 at 8:45 pm #
I made this today and it was incredible!! My teenage son, (who was bitter about the trip to the ‘smelly’ bulk food store), hasn’t stopped munching all afternoon! I added some cinnamon, some ginger and sunflower seeds. It’s delish!!
I have to say, I’ve made quite a few recipes from your lovely site and all have been spectacular. The dark chocolate orange chip cookies were quite the hit at work and I’m planning on “Spilling the Beans’” being my next cookbook purchase.
Thanks for the great meals!!