Divas on a Dime: Genius upgrade for ‘crispity, crunchity’ granola

You guys! The crunch. I can’t stop eating this stuff.

You know I love creating recipe mash-ups, right? I wanted to do something fun with the old standby: granola. A totally new twist. So, I thought about what flavors and textures would happily combine with traditional granola. You know when you go to the mall and get hit with the smell of caramel corn? That caramelized, burnt sugar smell? Yup. Then, how about the light-as-air crunch of honeycomb? Yes. Are you with me?

What if granola, caramel corn and honeycomb had a baby? And we ate it? I did it!

If you’ve never made granola from scratch, you’re really missing out. It’s easy, cheap and tastes better than the stuff you buy at the supermarket. But this. This recipe is exceptionally delicious if I do say so myself. So light and crisp, then it practically melts in your mouth. It’s gluten-free, too.

I kept it simple. It’s only oats, almonds, and crispy rice cereal. And the honeycomb caramel is just butter, brown sugar, honey and baking soda.

I chose to add crispy rice cereal to the oats because it’s so light. Of course, you can add anything you like to this granola, I only suggest you choose things that stay crunchy. Nuts, coconut, and seeds would be good. I’m not so sure about dried fruit or chocolate. But if you try it, let me know.

SALTED CARAMEL

HONEYCOMB GRANOLA

Yield: about 7 cups

Time: 35 minutes

What You’ll Need:

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup sliced almonds – or more to taste (do it!)

3 cups crispy rice cereal

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey or corn syrup

½ cup (one stick) butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

Here’s How:

Heat the oven to 350°F. You’re going to do two things at once, like chewing gum and walking. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Spread the oats and almonds on the pan. Place this in the oven for 5 minutes to toast. Stir and return to the oven for 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, place the crispy rice cereal in a large heat-proof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the brown sugar, butter, and honey. Stir this occasionally until it begins to bubble and let it bubble for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, get the toasted oats and almonds out of the oven and mix with the rice cereal. Now, remove the caramel from the heat and add the salt and vanilla and stir. Next, whisk in the baking soda and stand back as it gloriously foams and froths. Immediately pour this over the oat and cereal mixture in the bowl. Mix it all together with a couple of wooden spoons until most of the cereal is coated. Spread the mixture back on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, stirring halfway through. Allow to cool completely before breaking up and storing at room temperature.

Serve this mash-up on yogurt, ice cream, on French toast or by the face full. I won’t tell.

Frugal and Fabulous Food by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Website and blog - www.divasonadime.com Join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.