Peanut Butter Granola

"Peanut Butter Granola... what do you think??"  That was the message I sent to one of Liv's dance friends a week or two ago, and almost immediately I received a response in all caps, "I THINK YES!".

Ellie, one of the girls in our dance carpool last year, discovered she does indeed love granola, and became one of my main taste testers as we set about creating our own granola recipes.  Trying to bring the girls healthy snacks between school and dance rehearsals, I didn't think granola would fly, but the sweetened, crunchy goodness became a favored treat.  While our opinions varied on the correct amount of sweetness, we all came to look forward to a little bag of granola in the car.

Ellie and Liv are frequently matched up as dance partners, and have danced as everything from hillbillies, baseball players to the characters from West Side Story.  Right - Ellie hip hops her way to Nationals.

Usually filled with a base of rolled oats, we've added everything from dried mangoes and macadamia nuts, raisins and pepitas, slivered almonds and apricots, and beyond.  Usually the mixture benefited from the sweet addition (the fruits) and some sort of salty addition (the nuts and seeds) to bring depth.  But this Peanut Butter Granola... well, this one can stand alone.

Simply filled with oats, flax, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla and an egg white, the mixture still meets my approval for a healthy snack, but the with no added fruits for sweetness, the amount of sugar for the girl's taste for sweetness goes a bit above my happy point.  None-the-less, with the delicate peanut buttery goodness, I too found the granola to be nearly irresistible.

As Ellie's birthday happened to coincide with our granola prep, she became the happy recipient of a freshly prepared jar of Peanut Butter Granola.  How many teenagers do you know whose eyes light up at the sight of sweetened oats??

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Peanut Butter Granola

While I usually use granola as a topping for my morning yogurt, this version never saw yogurt... only my spoon.  Light, crunchy and with a delicate peanut butter flavor, I found it to be nearly irresistible.

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

3 Tbs ground flax meal

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

splash of honey (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325º.

Measure rolled oats, flax meal and salt into a medium mixing bowl.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the peanut butter and brown sugar with a splash of honey over low heat.  Melt just until "mixable" with the dry ingredients.  Add the vanilla and stir.

Pour the peanut butter over the oats and add the beaten egg white.  Stir to coat, then spread evenly onto a silicone mat (or prepared baking sheet) on a baking sheet.

Place the pan into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Stir granola at the 15 minute point, and check for doneness (my oven is not very even, and will bake faster some times than others, new oven is on the Christmas List...).  Bake about 10 minutes longer, check and stir again.  Remove if the granola is golden brown, or continue baking if you prefer your granola darker.