Spent Grain Granola

Spent grain is healthy and full of protein and fiber. Granola is healthy and full of protein and fiber. Combine the two and you have a tasty and deceivingly healthy protein-packed snack to balance your bacon and beer.

This recipe is on the sweeter side, but filled with savory nuts, and fiber from the spent grain, so it’s okay! It’s great to just munch on with a beer, but also nice as cereal with milk, or with fruit and yogurt.

The nuts are specified as chopped just to distribute them and let the flavors work together, but you can also leave some of them whole for more bite.

Ingredients:

2 oz hazelnuts, chopped

2 oz almonds, chopped

2 oz walnuts, chopped

2 oz pecans, chopped

1/2 cup shredded coconut(optional)

4 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup spent grain, dried

1 cup honey

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1 cup raisins or other dried fruits(optional)

Directions:

Roughly chop the nuts and combine with the oats and dried spent grain. Mix together and set aside.

In a small sauce pot, combine the honey, brown sugar, spices, vanilla, and butter. Let the mixture dissolve and then simmer on med-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.

Using caution (HOT!) quickly stir the liquid into the dry ingredients and spread out in a baking pan in a layer 1-2 inches deep.

Place the mixture into a 350 degree oven and stir(gently) every 5-7 minutes until evenly golden brown and dry. 25-35 minutes.

Lastly, add any raisins or dried fruits right out of the oven, give it a final stir, and leave it alone until cool.

Note: For big chunks of crunchy granola pieces, it’s all in the handling. When stirring the granola, try to just swap the corners with the middle and the outside with the inside and leave it at that. The more you agitate it the more fine the texture will end up. This is especially true towards the end of the baking time, and even more so once it begins to cool. So, when it comes out of the oven, just leave it alone!

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