Serves 12

Ingredients:
Parchment paper for lining the baking dish
2 ½ cups whole-wheat pretzels, chopped
1 cup old fashioned oats, plus 1 cup left whole
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup agave nectar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking dish (e.g. 9” x 9”) with parchment paper.
Chop the pretzels until coarsely ground (or use a food processor). Then transfer to a mixing bowl.
In the food processor, pulse the oats until they are finely ground (resembling oat flour). Then transfer to the mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, olive oil, and agave nectar. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until warmed through and well combined.
Stir the peanut butter mixture into the reserved oat-pretzel mixture and mix well. Then transfer to the baking dish and evenly spread throughout.
Bake for 20-mintues to until the granola is lightly browned. Cool the granola and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Molly’s book, Skinny Size-It (Harlequin Non-Fiction 2014)

Cran Walnut Granola (Image Source: iStock)

The funny thing is that I was actually trying to create a new bar recipe but it just didn’t turn out… instead, the result was the best tasting homemade granola, ever. The granola is lightly sweet and perfectly crunchy! I’m now starting to use the oats and maple syrup ratio as a base to make variations off of this recipe switching up different types of chips and dried fruit so I’ll report back on how other combinations come out!

Cran-Walnut Granola
Serves 10

Ingredients:
2.5 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup yogurt chips or white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the granola ingredients, stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a prepared dish.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, let it cool, and then stir to break into pieces.

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 200 calories, 8 grams fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 40 milligrams sodium, 32 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 16 grams sugar, 3 grams protein