Peanut Butter Chia Seed Granola

Heyyyyyy you guys! It's Tuesday, and Day 2 of my "Granola Week" here on Baking with Blondie. Yesterday, I shared an amazing Strawberry Dark Chocolate Granola that would seriously blow your mind. 

Today, oh man, I had to resist to not share this one weeks ago when we tried it in my kitchen. 

Let me start off by saying that this granola is BY FAR my favorite one we've ever tried. It's hearty, it's healthy, it's the granola I couldn't stop thinking about, and it's the one I seriously made up reasons to eat some more. 

Intrigued? You should be! This one's freaking dynamite!!! 

This granola batch makes a ton of granola... 10 whole cups easily. Which means more granola for you after making just one batch. You can toss this in a bowl of unsweetened almond milk, top your smoothie bowls. stir them into your yogurt with berries, and can even eat them in your ice cream or by the handful if you fantsy. So that 10 cups sure goes a long way. 

Just look at that gorgeous granola! I mean, how could you not?! 

This granola comes together lickity-split. Or as my son says these days "easy peasy lemon squeezy!"

All you do is add in old fashioned oats (use the thick stuff, using the quick oats won't work very well here, I promise), and the peanuts. I've tried using salted and unsalted, and either is fine. The unsalted version is much healthier sodium-wise, so if that's what you're going for, do it. 

Next, you're going to add in your unsweetened coconut. Again, I've tried both the sweetened, thick, and unsweetened version, and as sugary tasty the first two are, the unsweetened toasts up just fine and still tastes amazing. 

Next, you're going to add in a star ingredient: the chia seeds. Buy these babies by the giant box, people. You'll end up using them in just about everything. This granola, though, is a MUST when it comes to those little beauties. Toss 'em in, and you'll taste the difference immediately. It's incredible stuff. 

Next, flaxseed. I usually just buy mine pre-ground. My kids don't see the seed in their granola and freak out saying "you put birdseed in our breakfast!!!". haha. Again, buy a big box of ground flax, you'll use it in everything (pancakes, waffles, smoothies, oh... and this KILLER GRANOLA). 

Toss in some cinnamon. It warms this right up to the high heavens, I tell you. Granola should always have a little pinch of cinnamon. 

Next, add in sugar. OH MY GOSH SUGAR, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE BECAUSE SUGAR IS BAD BAD BAD. 

Oh gosh. (eyeroll)

You can use brown sugar, or even use splenda, or coconut sugar, or whatever healthy-version of sugar you have stocked in your pantry. I don't care. haha. Just don't yell at me about it, aight? I make cakes for a living with straight up butter and sugar for frosting, sooooo... sugar and I aren't on restraining order terms, if you know what I mean. 

Aaaand and in salt. Yep. Enough said. It balances out the sweet with a little zip. 

So that's your dry ingredients. 

Next, your "wet" ingredients: coconut oil. This stuff, man, I didn't used to believe in it. But it seriously rocks my world now. The little sample-sized container I bought was gone SO quickly, and I ended up going big next time. 

Whisk it in with your peanut butter (we used creamy, you already have enough crunch from the whole peanuts in here), and then bring it off the heat after they melt. 

Stir in your maple syrup (100% pure is best, just sayin'. I don't discriminate against the other stuff, but man you can taste the difference here in this recipe for sure). 

Toss in your egg white (careful to watch the temperature - don't want scrambled eggs here!), and vanilla. 

Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry, stir to coat everything, bake it up on a large baking sheet, let it cool, and HOLY SMOKES you have my favorite granola on this planet right here. 

As they say in Moana: "You're Welcommmmme!" :) 

See you tomorrow, you fine-lookin' human being, you. Go rock this Tuesday. 

Peanut Butter Chia Seed Granola

makes 10 cups

ingredients:

3 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup shelled peanuts

1 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

2 Tablespoons chia seeds

2 Tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

fresh berries and milk or yogurt for servings

method:

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside, and preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

2. In a large bowl, stir together oats, peanuts, coconut, chia seeds, flaxseed, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. 

3. In a small saucepan, whisk together coconut oil and peanut butter until it melts over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in syrup, egg white (slowly and carefully to not scramble it!), and vanilla. 

4. Pour wet ingredients over the dry, and stir together until all the oats have been coated. Spread granola evenly on prepared baking sheet. 

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until granola is toasty golden brown. Remove from oven. Let granola cool completely until dry. Crumble into clusters and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. 

Recipe source: Whole and Healthy Oven