Entire Time:
1 hour 45 minutes
This submit may comprise affiliate hyperlinks. For additional information, see our privateness protection.
Only a bit heads up… this crispy Blueberry Almond Granola is addictive and it’s not potential to eat just one little handful! No worries though… with oats, wheat germ, coconut, maple syrup, honey and a secret ingredient, it is usually hearty and healthful!
This Crispy Blueberry Almond Granola recipe took just some spins throughout the block sooner than I was happy with it. It started with some delicious blueberry almond granola that we had been launched to on a go to this summer time season. After returning residence, I couldn’t stop desirous about it and decided to give you my very personal mannequin.
I occurred upon an unusual granola recipe over on the Vital Eats website. To be honest, the recipe sounded uncommon and I was pretty uncertain. Until… I began finding out all of the rave evaluation suggestions. Tons of them. Hmmmm.
Strategies to make this unorthodox granola
What may be so uncommon a couple of granola recipe? That is the nutshell rundown for the Vital Eats recipe:
- Combine oats, flax, wheat germ and chia seed in a giant bowl. Add buttermilk (positive, buttermilk!) and butter (butter, really? Truly!).
- Let the oat mixture sit for 20 minutes (for the oats to plump).
- Add sugar and salt then stir to combine and let it sit as soon as extra for half-hour (for the sugar to melt).
- Flip the lumpy oat mixture out onto a sheet pan and unfold to a wonderful layer.
- Bake, stirring every 25 minutes, until golden and crispy.
- Add mix-ins then allow all of the issues to sit back.
See what I indicate? Uncommon, correct? Buttermilk? Butter? Sugar? In granola?
Why buttermilk?
That was my question too! The recipe creator over at Vital Eats, explains it this fashion:
- Buttermilk tenderizes the oats, wheat germ, flax, and chia.
- Soaking the grains expresses their pure starch, creating clumpy nuggets.
- Sugar (or in my recipe, maple syrup and honey) interferes with water absorption in oats, so it is not added until shortly.
- Buttermilk’s acidity prevents the grains from browning too shortly as they bake.
Her clarification made sense nonetheless, as a result of the earlier saying goes, “the proof is throughout the pudding”… so I assumed it was worth giving the recipe a try!
The outcomes?
SO, SO delicious! It’s amazingly crisp, mild and hearty on the same time. And now I agree, the buttermilk does all of the issues she says! I actually like crisp little clusters of granola, the crunchy nuts and the fabulous pops of intensely flavored dried fruit.
A extra wholesome rendition
As quickly as I was provided on this new granola, I decided to see if I could tweak the recipe to make it extra wholesome. The distinctive recipe known as for a cup of sugar and a ½ cup of melted butter. Yikes! Although I don’t ideas a sweet cope with occasionally, consuming refined sugar and butter very very first thing throughout the morning shouldn’t be my idea of good food regimen.
I swapped the sugar for maple syrup and a splash of honey and subbed coconut oil for the butter. Using maple syrup and honey eliminates the second 30-minute “wait” interval (for the sugar to dissolve) throughout the genuine recipe.
I moreover decided, after making a variety of batches, to eradicate the chia seed and flax since there wasn’t enough in order so as to add a ton of dietary revenue and we appreciated the flavour increased with out them. A spoonful of cinnamon and a generous splash of vanilla had been my totally different tweaks
The result? Addictingly delicious! So good, I uncover myself taking considerably nibble each time I stroll earlier the jar. I am going to must cowl it from myself so we’ll get pleasure from it for breakfast with fruit and yogurt!
Blueberry Almond Granola
Since I wanted a blueberry-almond combination for my granola, I subbed dried blueberries and salted roasted almonds for the myriad of nuts and dried fruit throughout the genuine recipe. Since I need to have a look at my sodium consumption, I used Blue Diamond Frivolously Salted Almonds which might be lower in sodium nonetheless nonetheless add a nice salty pop to the granola in distinction with the sweet oats and blueberries.
Although I title this recipe, Crispy Blueberry Almond Granola, I moreover wish to throw in a handful of dried cherries. The (non-obligatory) sweet-tart cherries add one different delicious layer of style.
I’ve already given quite a few jars of this Blueberry Almond Granola to friends and all people has appreciated it! I consider you’ll love giving it as a gift too. It’s good to have one factor to share that isn’t solely delicious however moreover healthful!
We have now created a free printable label to make gifting this granola pretty specific. If you need to acquire a PDF for the labels, merely inform us throughout the comment half on the bottom of this submit. We’ll e-mail you the PDF along with instructions on print it up at residence in your printer.
We’ll moreover embrace a hyperlink for the jars and lid picture throughout the submit.
I do know we’ll get pleasure from this fabulous, seasonless Blueberry Almond Granola all yr prolonged! It’s unbelievable for breakfast, as a snack, and at the same time as a crunchy topping on a salad or over ice cream! I consider, while you try it, it may change right into a staple at your personal house too! ENJOY!
P.S. In case you might be questioning, the “secret” ingredient (talked about on the label) is the buttermilk!
Cafe Ideas for making this Blueberry Almond Granola
- Make sure to use rolled oats (aka old skool oats) for this recipe, not quick oats (which have been processed to help them cook dinner dinner sooner)
- Dried blueberries and cherries may be expensive. I wish to buy mine at Aldi, Seller Joe’s Sams Membership and Costco, the place they’re sometimes additional reasonably priced.
- This recipe requires wheat germ. The wheat germ gives the granola a contact of graham-cracker-y style. You presumably can usually uncover wheat germ throughout the grocery retailer near the oatmeal. It’s also obtainable on-line.
- Seek for salted, roasted almonds for this granola recipe. I wish to make use of Blue Diamond Frivolously Salted Almonds as we’re watching our sodium. I’ve moreover used Blue Diamond Honey Roasted Almonds which might be deliciuos and as well as lower in sodium. Aldi moreover carries calmly salted roasted almonds.
Thought for the day:
Carry up your eyes on extreme
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by amount,
He calls all of them by title;
As a result of greatness of His could and the ability of His power,
Not actually one in every of them is missing.
Isaiah 40:26
What we’re listening to for inspiration:
In case you get pleasure from this recipe, please come once more and depart a star rating and evaluation! It’s so helpful to totally different readers to hearken to your outcomes, permutations and ideas for variations.
Crispy Blueberry Almond Granola
Cease your show display screen from going darkish
Parts
For the granola:
- 4 cups old skool rolled oats, not instantaneous, quick, or steel-cut
- ½ cup wheat germ
- 1 cup buttermilk, plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, roughly, to fashion
For the mix-Ins:
- 1 ¼ cups total salted almonds, I exploit Blue Diamond calmly salted almonds
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8-10 ounces dried blueberries, or 4-5 ounces of dried blueberries and 4-5 ounces of dried cherries
Instructions
For the granola:
Combine oats and wheat germ in a giant bowl. Stir to combine.
Add the buttermilk and melted coconut oil. Stir successfully to combine and completely coat all of the oats. Cowl with a cleankitchen towel and put apart for 20 minutes for the oats to plum and take within the liquid.
Whereas the oats are plumping, preheat the oven to 300˚F.
Combine the maple syrup, honey vanilla, cinnamon and ¾ teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl and stir to combine. Put apart.
After the 20-minute plumping time, pour the maple syrup/coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture. Stir successfully to combine.
Divide the mixture on the 2 prepared pans and unfold each to a wonderful layer. (A fork works successfully to unfold it out.)
Bake for half-hour then take away the pans from the oven and elevate the sides of the foil to heap the mixture into the center of the pan. Stir with a fork, then, unfold as soon as extra to a wonderful layer (This redistributing is important because the floor edges will are more likely to get brown sooner than the elements throughout the center of the pan.)
Bake for another 40-50 minutes, until good and golden brown and dry to the contact. Mine usually takes spherical 40 minutes additional after the stir.
For the mix-ins:
Whereas the granola is baking, place the almonds in a giant bowl. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and stir successfully to combine. Add the dried blueberries (and cherries, if using) and stir as soon as extra. Put apart.
To finish:
Take away the granola from the oven and swap it immediately to the bowl of fruit and nuts. (This softens the dried blueberries and infuses the granola with blueberry style.)Take a small fashion of the granola and add bit additional salt, if wished (Don’t worry if the the granola should not be large crisp at this degree – it may crisp out as a result of it cools). Stir successfully to combine then flip once more out onto the foil-lined sheet pan and unfold to a wonderful layer to sit back.
When cool, swap to an airtight container for storage. It’s going to maintain for a variety of weeks at room temperature if saved in an air-tight container.
Notes
In case you select to utilize Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, correct above the phrase “Instructions”. Merely click on on that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, and lots of others. In case you ever come all through actually one in every of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (a variety of the older recipes couldn’t), be at liberty to go away a comment and I am going to add it.
Food regimen
Vitality: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.001gLdl ldl cholesterol: 0.2mgSodium: 87mgPotassium: 233mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 0.3IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 1mg
