Apple Crumble Granola

A crumb cake and rolled oats walk into a bar.....

Just kidding; this granola is so good that I don't want to sit here and think of an ending to that joke. I want to dive right in! Every time I pour milk over a bowl of these crisp clumps of brown sugar, butter, apple, oats, and cinnamon, my day is instantly better. Here's how you can enjoy it right from your own kitchen!

*Please note that these numbers are based off of the batch I routinely prepare for the farmer's market, halved*

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of flour, 5 cups of oats, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, and 2-3 small apples.

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl

2. Add flour and mix into the butter mixture until clumps have replaced the creamy butter texture. This may take a little while. If you feel like the chunks are too big, you can add a bit more flour and continue this step or move on to step 3 and use the oats to coat the clumps and keep them separated.

3. Add oats to the bowl and mix thoroughly. At this point, you can also cut or smash larger clumps of the butter mixture so the sizes are pretty even throughout.

4. Add in vanilla, cinnamon, coconut oil, and maple syrup and mix thoroughly. Make sure the coloring and texture is even throughout the mixture to avoid any pockets of cinnamon, oil, or syrup.

5. Dice the apples into very small pieces and fold into the oat mixture.

6. Once you're satisfied that all of the ingredients are evenly mixed, spread onto a baking tray and put into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If your oven has a convection function, I highly recommend using it for a more efficient and even toast.

7. Every 15 minutes, use a spatula to stir the granola on the baking sheet. Make sure to pull the oats from the edges into the middle and spread the oats from the middle to the edge. You want to ensure that all of the granola toasts evenly.

8. After an hour, or when you can hear that the oats are stiff when you stir them (a slight scraping, crunchy sound), take the tray out of the oven and let it cool. If your oven doesn't have a convection function, it make take closer to an hour and half.

9. Give the mixture another good stir to make sure that everything has a chance to cool and release any remaining moisture.

10. Enjoy with milk, yogurt, or by itself!

A couple of quick notes:

Although the ingredients include brown sugar and maple syrup, the sweetness of this recipe is quite soft. That is intentional. While I have a huge sweet tooth, I like my granola to feel like a casual morning ritual as well as an indulgent treat. If you like bolder sweet flavors, definitely increase the maple syrup and/or brown sugar. Additionally, it will reduce in sweetness as it bakes. So if you taste the mixture prior to baking it, you want it to be slightly sweeter than your end goal.

The measurements of oats, vanilla, maple syrup, and coconut oil provided above make up the base that I use for all of my granola recipes. Using those measurements, add any toppings you want! When you try this recipe or come up with your own variation, post your results and tag me. Want to know how to make my other popular flavors like chocolate coconut or spiced raisin? Find me on Instagram, Facebook, or on my website and let me know!

UglyYummies

Cooking with our minds, our hands, and our hearts to nourish bodies and souls.