Having granola is so convenient isn’t it? It can be used with yogurt or pour milk over it and have cereal. And what is great is that it is packed with tons of vitamins and nutrients that can be used for fueling your body. Of course, the main reason for having it is because it tastes good. Who are we kidding here? If it didn’t taste delicious we wouldn’t be eating it on a regular basis.
When I realized how easy it is to make I kinda felt silly looking at packages of the stuff that was already made. And it is so much cheaper to make it. With that being said, I have an even easier way of making granola at home.
Instead of baking it though, you don’t! It’s about that simple. I was able to still achieve chunks of granola but it was softer and I was done in about 5 minutes. It tastes great too.
What’s the secret you ask? Well, instead of adding loads of sugar and drizzling a lot of syrup or honey over the whole mixture to bind I used peanut butter with a little honey then mixed it all together. Put it in the refrigerator to set then it is good to go. I have kept mine in the refrigerator after it set but it really does not have to be if you wanted to keep it at room temperature.
Another great thing about this recipe is you can substitute a similar ingredient or omit one altogether if you don’t like it. I think it is a great way to hide even healthier things like flax seeds. I’m not really a fan of the taste of flax seeds but they were put in this, which kicks up the good nutrition even more, but is not really detectable.
The sweetness has not been taken out but it is reduced. There’s only 2 tablespoons of honey for the whole recipe. But, because there are raisins in this the sweet taste is still elevated.
The process is so simple. Start by mixing all the dry ingredients together, heat the peanut butter and honey until viscous, then blend it with all the dry ingredients. Store in the refrigerator to set it and you are done. It is really that simple. Enough of my rambling. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy.
No Bake Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds unsalted
- ¼ cup cashews unsalted
- 1½ tablespoons flax seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine first 7 ingredients. In a separate bowl put peanut butter and honey together. This can be warmed in a microwave or on a stove top with a small sauce pan until very smooth and liquid.
- Pour liquid peanut butter and honey over the granola mixture. Stir until large chunks form.
- You can leave it in the mixing bowl or pour it in an 8x8 dish then place in refrigerator until set.
- Store in refrigerator or at room temperature sealed.
