Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

>> Monday, May 28, 2012


Happy Memorial Day! I am so thankful for our freedom today and for our soldiers fighting for us to be free! 

Today I thought a healthy little afternoon snack would be a nice addition to a Memorial Day gathering. Since everyone is always so busy prepping food for the afternoon cookouts, it's common to skip over a meal and be famished! But this is a quick easy and healthy recipe that will tide you over till dinner time without filling you up too much! 
I adapted the recipe from Dashing Dish, making just a few minor adjustments. She calls for all Splenda in the recipe, but I would just rather add a quarter of the amount of sweetener using real sugar than an artificial sweetener - I've tried it in baked goods, and just really don't like the taste. I'll use it in my coffee, but not my cookies and brownies! :) 

This granola tastes great over milk, just eating a handful as a snack, or mixed with some nuts, etc. Enjoy! 

Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola (Adapted from Dashing Dish)

Ingredients: 
2 1/2 cups oats
2 tbsp. light butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 honey
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup Better N' Peanut Butter (the best peanut butter ever! It's made with half peanut flour so it's 85%   less fat than regular peanut butter. It's found at Trader Joe's. 
If you can't find that or you don't want to use it - use an all natural peanut butter)
1 tsp. baking powder

Preparation: 
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking pan with a silpat or parchment paper. 

2. Microwave peanut butter and light butter in microwave safe bowl for approximately 30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth. 
 
3. Combine all other ingredients into a bowl and mix together, adding the peanut butter mixture until fully mixed. 
 
 
4. Spread evenly onto your baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. Pull out and stir mixture, spreading back out flat across the pan. 
5. Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp - granola will harden slightly as it cools, so don't overcook. After granola cools, break apart into bite-sized pieces. Store in an airtight container. 

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