Crunch Time

This recipe is so simple that there's not much to say about it.

There's no real story to attach to it. I've never been to a co-op in Portland where they ate this on the daily and I've never gotten lost on a mountainside with a bag of granola as my only food source. I was browsing for recipes, I saw this, bookmarked it, and then I made it. That's it. I didn't have to wrestle plaid clad lumberjacks for it, nothing. Although, I WOULD wrestle rabid lumberjacks for this granola, because that is the depth of my love for peanut butter. My kitchen smells like heaven right now.

This recipe great because it's quicker than most granola recipes- less than 15 minutes total baking time. It's crunchy, not overly sweet and pretty wholesome. I'd try serving it with yogurt or milk and fresh fruit. (I just ate mine with some sliced strawberries and some milk and ooh baby, it was a fine world.) However, if you just eat it, ravenous, handful by handful out of the container, I won't judge.

This shtuff is ALSO vegan, if that's what you're into, you hippie.

Peanut Butter Maple Granola

Adapted from The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

Ingredients

1/3 cup peanut butter (I used all natural)
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans (or a nut of your choice)
2 cups oats

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

2. In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt together the peanut butter and the maple syrup, whisking to combine. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla, stirring until evenly distributed.

3.  Now, add the pecans and the oats, stirring until the mixture is evenly coated.

4. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, then allow to cool completely. Enjoy!


I Am Jack's Step by Step Photos.

1.  Combine the peanut butter and maple syrup in a saucepan. When melted, add the cinnamon, vanilla and whisk.

2. Mix in the oats and pecans, ensuring they're evenly coated by the mixture. Spread on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes, enjoy peanut butter aromatherapy as the smell fills the kitchen. Remove from oven, let cool on the sheet and store for as long as you can before you eat all of it. Seriously.