Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola
Are you a snacker? I'm a snacker and this Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola is a healthy snack option that can be enjoyed not only for a quick snack but you can also enjoy it at breakfast.
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I recently bought a food dehydrator and although this Dried Apricot Granola recipe doesn't use dried apricots that I dried myself I also made some Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Bars the same day that does include dried banana chips I dehydrated myself.
I had a two day fun fest of drying fruit (cranberries, banana chips and dried apple slices) and making three different flavors of granola or granola bars last week.
It was a nice break from preserving by canning since I have been going gang busters with the canning recipes this summer.
There are so many ways you can preserve food to save money and dehydrating fruits and vegetables is just one of them I like to use. I actually bought the dried apricots for an upcoming canning recipe.
Yes, I am still sharing canning recipes. I actually can all year long since I live in Florida and fresh fruits and vegetables are available 12 months out of the year. I made a Habanero Apricot Jelly recipe that is to die for!
If you love sweet and spicy pepper jelly then keep an eye out for that recipe! It is delicious served over a block of cream cheese.
I had some dried apricots leftover from the Habanero Apricot Jelly recipe and I took a quick look through the pantry and had almost everything I would need to make a batch of granola except one ingredient.
Off the the store I went. After I made the Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola recipe I had enough old fashioned oats leftover to make two more batches of homemade granola! So that is what I did.
This Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola recipe can be eaten as is by the handful when you need a little pick me up snack to hold you over until dinner time. Or you can sprinkle some over your morning yogurt.
Which ever way you decide to snack on this homemade granola recipe it is packed full of delicious ingredients like dried apricots, sunflower seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and old fashioned oats.
It is also a nut free granola option for those that can not eat nuts but still can enjoy seeds. The glue that holds this yummy granola together is Sunbutter creamy Sunflower Seed Spread.
Sunbutter sunflower spreads are a great alternative for peanut butter. If you don't have a nut allergy you can use creamy peanut butter to make this Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola recipe. Or even creamy almond butter can be used instead.
If you are adventurous you can even make your own homemade almond butter at home for this and any other homemade granola recipe. All you need is a strong food processor and roasted almonds or any other type of roasted nut.
How To Make Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup rice crispie cereal
- 1 cup minced dried apricot pieces
- ½ cup dried pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- ½ cup dried sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup creamy sunflower butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used my homemade vanilla extract)
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper leaving a slight over hang so you can easily remove the baked granola from the pan
- In a large bowl mix the first 7 ingredients until combined well.
- Mix the sunflower butter, honey and vanilla in a small bowl. Warm in the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Pour the warmed sunflower butter mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients.
- With a stiff spatula mix well until the wet ingredients are incorporated well with the dry ingredients.
- Pour the granola ingredients into the baking pan. Spread out evenly.
- Press the granola down into the baking pan. Tip: use a second piece of parchment paper to cover the top of the ingredients and press down firmly to compact the granola tightly. Discard this piece of parchment paper once the granola is pressed into the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges of the granola starts to turn a golden brown.
- Once baked remove the pan from the oven and cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes.
- After cooled break the granola leaving some large chunks. Store in an airtight container.
- Makes about 7 cups of granola.
Print the Dried Apricot Granola Recipe below.
Dried Apricot Sunflower Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup rice crispie cereal
- 1 cup minced dried apricot pieces
- ½ cup dried pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- ½ cup dried sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup creamy sunflower butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper leaving a slight over hang so you can easily remove the baked granola from the pan
- In a large bowl mix the first 7 ingredients until combined well.
- Mix the sunflower butter, honey and vanilla in a small bowl. Warm in the microwave for 20 seconds.
- Pour the warmed sunflower butter mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients.
- With a stiff spatula mix well until the wet ingredients are incorporated well with the dry ingredients.
- Pour the granola ingredients into the baking pan. Spread out evenly.
- Press the granola down into the baking pan. Tip: use a second piece of parchment paper to cover the top of the ingredients and press down firmly to compact the granola tightly. Discard this piece of parchment paper once the granola is pressed into the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges of the granola starts to turn a golden brown.
- Once baked remove the pan from the oven and cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes.
- After cooled break the granola leaving some large chunks. Store in an airtight container.
- Makes about 7 cups of granola.
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