Homemade Breakfast Cereal (Homemade Granola Snack) from Cheeseslave

Do you wish there was breakfast cereal you could feed your kids on busy mornings?  Something that not only didn’t have junk like artificial colors and flavors or tons of sugar (“Foodless Foods”), but also one that did have some nutrients?!

Or maybe you wish there was a quick healthy after-school snack that the kids could reach for before scooting them off to practice or whatever your family runs off to after school.

I’ve got the perfect recipe for you!

At the Wise Traditions conference in November, I tried some delicious homemade soaked granola in a bowl with milk for a nutritious cold breakfast cereal. I hadn’t had breakfast cereal in so long, it was goooood!  (A perfect alternative to store-bought boxed breakfast cereals.)  This got me in the mood to try making it again, after an honest friend let me know a while back that my recipe reminded her of Astroturf. (Although I really think part of the problem with that batch was a little issue of over-baking.)  So as I’m ooh-ing and ah-ing over my cereal, Ann Marie said she had a recipe that tasted very similar on her site:  Homemade Granola with Soaked Oats and Sprouted Flour.

Which reminds me…

There are many reasons that you might want to think about subscribing to Ann Marie’s menu mailer, a couple biggies being that if you’re a Real Foodie like I am, it reads like a juicy magazine, and also it’s FULL of simple to follow tried and true recipes for nourishing foods – recipes like this one I’m sharing with you today.

WHY go to this trouble?

At her granola post, Ann Marie answers this question: Why go to the trouble of making homemade granola? Also there you’ll find more details about the recipe, including how to use your dehydrator instead of the oven like I use.

But…I have a knack for burning things lately

On my first go I got to the very last step before bombing out, as you can tell by this black-bottomed pan.  If you think you might want to increase the temp a bit to crisp it up faster, I suggest you re-think that idea.  Apparently the maple syrup in this can cause it to burn quickly.  This was only in the oven for 15 minutes at 350* and just like that, all sorts of expensive ingredients were gone.  Learn from my stupidity.  The pieces on top tasted good anyway.

Once I made more crispy nuts, I was ready to try again.  This time it was so delicious, I can’t stay out of it.  Each bite is a little different.  If you get a dried cranberry there’s a burst of sweet.  If you get some oats you get a hearty crunch.  If you get a pecan, you get a light crunch of buttery melt-in-your-mouth heaven.

My Version of Ann Marie’s Homemade Breakfast Cereal/Homemade Granola:

• 6 c. organic oatmeal
• 6 c. warm filtered water
• 3/4 c. yogurt, whey, or buttermilk (I used a combination because I was almost out of homemade yogurt and homemade buttermilk.)

Mix well and cover.  Let set for 24 hours.

If it’s very wet you can strain it a bit if needed, then spread onto two greased (or parchment paper-lined) cookie sheets.  Place in 170* oven (or lower if your oven goes lower) and leave it for a couple hours, turning over once.  At this point it was bedtime, so I turned the oven off and left it there overnight with the oven light on, not wanting to ruin another batch.

In the morning melt these items together in a medium saucepan:

• 1 c. organic coconut oil
• 1/2 c. palm sugar
• 1/2 c. real maple syrup
• 2 t. sea salt

In the meantime, break up the pieces of oats into a big bowl.  Add the following:

• 1 1/2 c. dried cranberries
• 2 c. crispy nuts (I used crispy pecans but almonds would be good, too.)
• 1 c. sprouted spelt flour (see my resources page for where to buy, or see this post for how to sprout grains yourself.)
• The melted mixture from above

Stir well.  Spread it out onto the two cookie sheets and place them back into a 170* oven.  I left it for about 6 more hours.  Keep checking it until it gets to the desired crispiness.  Enjoy!

If you make this, please tell us how your recipe is different, I love comparing recipes.

• More healthy breakfast ideas (My most popular post by far.)
• Baked Oatmeal Bar Recipe (A great make-ahead breakfast that even people who don’t like oatmeal love, including me!)

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