Homemade Granola Recipe With Puffed Grains (Kid Friendly)
ThrivingNest
This naturally low-sugar, gluten-free granola is perfect for kids, especially those with sensitive stomachs. It's packed with the crunch of nuts, seeds, and the sweetness of dried fruits, plus airy puffed grains like puffed rice and puffed millet for a delightful texture. Versatile and tasty, it's great over porridge, yogurt, milk, or as a topping for fruit purees.
Soaking: Soaking the oats in hot water for about 15 minutes helps hydrate and soften the grain, meaning making them easier for little bodies to digest.Drying: After soaking, spread the oats on a baking sheet and dry them in the oven at a low temperature: about 1 hour at 220F or until it looks dry enough. This ensures they’re not mushy anymore and ready to absorb the delicious flavors we’re going to add.Note: If you prefer to skip this step, just use raw rolled oats.
Mixing Up Dry Ingredients
Start by combining the prepared oats, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, puffed rice, and puffed millet in a large mixing bowl.
Prepare Wet Ingredients
In a small saucepan, gently heat the coconut oil, maple syrup, and cashew butter, stirring until they’re well combined and smooth. This mixture will act as the binding agent for our granola.
Combining Wet and Dry
Pour your liquid mixture over the dry ingredients, stirring until everything is evenly coated.
Baking
Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven. You’re aiming for a golden-brown color, which typically takes about 50 to 60 minutes at 250°F, it depends on the oven type. Stir occasionally to ensure even baking.Note: I prefer to use a lower temperature setting to ensure the heat dosesn't destroy some heat sesitive ingredients like seeds and nuts.
Add The Rest
Adding the dried fruits (driedn blueberries, prunes) and hemp seeds after baking keeps their nutritional content intact and adds a chewy texture that kids love. If you add the dried fruit earlier, they will get overly dry and hard to chew.
If you prefer a simpler version, feel free to customize the recipe to your liking.
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