Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola (Whole Foods Copycat)
The granola is very chewy, a little bit gooey, slightly crunchy, and highly addictive. It’s a one-bowl, no mixer, easy recipe. I used conventional honey-roasted peanut butter and haven’t tried using natural or homemade peanut butter or other nut butter. I love the chewiness and natural sweetness the dried fruit provides but you can substitute with an alternate dried fruit. You may possibly be able to omit the dried fruit entirely if you add more dry ingredients, although I haven’t tried. I used a bit of oat bran but if you don’t keep it on hand, grind old-fashioned whole-rolled oats in your food processor or blender for about 30 seconds.
½cupoat branoften found in bulk bins or substitute with 1/2 cup oat flour by grinding 1/2 cup whole-rolled oats in food processor or blender for 30 seconds
½teaspoonsaltor to taste (the saltiness level in peanut butter and peanuts varies greatly)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat, parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
To a large microwave-safe bowl, add the peanut butter (haven’t tried using natural or homemade peanut butter or other nut butter such as almond butter; they tend to be runnier, thinner, and adjustments to the dry ingredients will likely need to be made), honey (haven’t tried with agave or maple syrup), heat on high power for 30 seconds to soften, and stir to combine.
Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. If you don’t like raisins or dried cranberries, substitute with an alternate dried fruit or you may possibly be able to omit dried fruit entirely if you add more dry ingredients, although I haven’t tried so cannot comment on exact measurements.
Turn mixture out on prepared baking sheet. It’ll take up the entire baking sheet and while you don’t want to hard-pack it, make sure it’s a fairly flat layer and all pieces are of uniform height because higher pieces will have a tendency to burn. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes.
Remove tray from oven and using a spatula (like you’d use to flip eggs or burgers), flip sections of the granola over until it’s all been flipped. I prefer flipping to stirring because I think it cooks more evenly.
Return tray to oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until granola is lightly browned, keeping in mind that granola will cook a slight bit more as it rests and cools on baking tray. Keep a watchful eye on it after you’ve flipped it because it can be prone to burning. Granola firms up as it cools. Allow granola to cool for at least 1 hour on baking tray (or overnight and exposed to air if you prefer it to be drier) before serving. Granola will keep airtight for 3 to 4 weeks.