I think what amazes me most about homemade granola is how much goodness you can pack into such a small area.
(Yup, I actually get excited about these things).
Each of these muffin-sized granola cups contains more health building nutrients than the average North American consumes in an entire day. And then some.
Sounds pretty worthwhile to me.
A simple and quick make-ahead option for breakfast or snack, full of delicious nutrients and wonderfully portable too.
If you’ve not yet tried blackstrap molasses, you’re in for a real treat. It’s not only delicious but highly nutritive. With a robust flavour reminiscent of black liquorice, it boasts an impressive nutrient profile that puts it in an entirely different class than its highly refined cousin ‘fancy‘ molasses.
2 Tablespoons of blackstrap molasses contains an amazing 40% of an adult’s daily requirement of potassium; 30% daily requirement of iron (ideal for vegetarians/vegans); 20% daily requirement of calcium; 20% daily requirement of vitamin B6 and 16% daily requirement of magnesium. Pretty impressive stuff for a sweetener.
You can play around with this recipe and incorporate whatever ingredients suit you and your family best. Experimenting with different seasonings will also bring about a whole new taste experience every time.
yup, that would be chili powder…
Buyer Beware: Another reason why I love homemade bars… Despite clever and creative labelling, most commercial granola bars are more about sugar than anything else. There are a few pre and post workout specialty bars on the market that have their place under very narrow circumstances (most of us do not have activity levels that warrant those circumstances), and Kashi brand granola snack bars contain a good amount of protein and fibre relative to sugar. Beyond that, most common commercial brands are about as nutritive as a candy bar.
I hope you enjoy making these granola cups at home – It’s really hard to go wrong with them so have some fun and bring small hands on board if you have them at home. Nothing more health empowering for a child than getting them involved in food choices at a young age.
Ancient Grains Granola Cups
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1 + 1/2 cups whole grain oats
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1/2 cup quinoa flour
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1/4 cup ground flaxseed
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1/2 cup chopped walnut
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1/4 cup sunflower seeds
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1/2 cup sliced dried apricot
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1/4 cup sliced dried and pitted prunes
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1/4 chopped 75% cocoa chocolate
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1 tsp chili powder
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1 tsp cinnamon powder
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1 tsp cardamom powder
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1/4 tsp ground ginger
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1 egg
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1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey
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2 heaping Tbsp blackstrap molasses
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1/4 cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
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2 tsp natural vanilla extract
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handful dessicated coconut
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Heat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, stir together: oats, quinoa flour, ground flaxseed, walnuts, apricots, prunes, chocolate, chili, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg and add maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, oil and vanilla.
Add wet ingredients to dry mixing until everything is moist.
Divide mixture among 12 medium-sized paper lined (or greased) muffin cups.
(I topped these cups with an additional sliver of apricot and a few sprinkles of dessicated coconut that I wanted to use up).
Using the back of a spoon, pack granola down tightly to allow ingredients to stick together after baking.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges begin to brown.
Allow granola cups to cool before unmoulding.
Enjoy!
These look so good! In fact I am not sure healthy should look so
amazing :)
Love all the healthy ingredients in these granola cups – great job Kelly! Your boys will thank you one day!
Mm, these remind me of flapjacks (english ones… not the pancake variety!), except about 100x more exciting! All those wonderful ingredients – and quinoa flour too! Hooray :) Flax seed too… delicious – makes my boring old flapjacks of oats and raisins seem rather sad by comparison! Love the final bit of coconut on top… on that subject, I had a coconut at home and cracked it open today to find it was going off…. I thought they were supposed to be sterile inside…
What a great/different way to serve granola. Sounds yummy!
Thank you so much, Kelly. I have just checked on the jar of what is called “mélasse” in my Swiss shop and I’m shocked because only 33% of it is molasses and the rest is cane syrup! (It also isn’t very dark). This will be another item I will buy exclusively in organic shops… I’m sure I will find the blackstrap molasses there (without any additions).
Wow. Great kick with the chili powder!
My favorite part of these is that they are portable!
Hehe, I get excited about food too ;) This is the cutest and perfect portable meal/snack! I need to make these for Nate…I think he doesn’t eat enough!
What wonderful ingredients. I haven’t used that molasses before but it sounds like I need to find some. These must be so tasty and really, really good for you xx
Thanks Stephanie – ‘packed’ is the operative word with this babies ;-) I hope you’re having a great day.
I have to say I like the dark chocolate too and it meshed well with the other full-bodied flavours including the molasses and chili… yum! Thanks Food Jaunts :)
Haha, agreed, I don’t think I could pack anything more into these little puppies – they are about as dense as humanly possible. But it’s pretty neat because one cup is enough to make you feel wonderfully satisfied. Thanks Nami!
Aww, thank you lovely Kim – you always make me smile – xo.
Hi KoKo, we have a local health foods store that has a couple of nice granola mixes that I’ve tried from time to time. We enjoy them but overall I still prefer making my own batch where feasible.
Thank you Beth!! :)
Thank you Asmita! They seemed to be a big hit with the family which is always nice too…
It’s funny, I almost never eat these for breakfast myself (unless dashing out for soccer at 6:30 am… ) but I especially l.o.v.e. for snack!
Hee.hee, I’m pretty sure I nibble on just about everything before I bake, roast, toast or fry… cook’s privilege, right? :)
Thanks France – I’m all about simplicity and efficacy too and these are so hearty that a little goes a long way… plus, you can store them in the fridge and they last forever (ok, maybe not for.ever. but pretty close! ;-)
Blackstrap molasses in soup… well, I never… how fabulous!! I’ve always used it in baking but never in cooking per se… now I must try; what a revelation! ;0) –
Aww, that’s so nice Kristy… I hope you do have some special baking time together this week… Let me know if you do give them a try how it worked out! Cheers.
Hee.hee… little cups of health and deliciousness – I like! :)
The quinoa flour seemed to hold up well in this recipe – sometimes, on its own, being non-glutenous, it can be tricky to work with. I’m happy to report that it blended beautifully and was a non-issue in this recipe.
Thanks Angie – I hope you’re having a great day.
Thanks so much CJ – they really are concentrated nutrition at its best.
You know, it’s funny, with many flavourful dessert items I feel the same way – I have one bite and it just primes the pump for more. But with these granola cups, I don’t feel that way. They’re so wholesome and hearty that I’m left feeling satisfied and not grazing for hours after… ;-) Cheers Eva!
If you have enough moisture (liquid ingredients vs. dry) and press down on the granola before baking, it should hold together quite well. It may not be as ‘perfect’ as factory form but who wants that? ;-). Thanks Shannon!
You sure can make them into bars (see note to Jacquie above for details) – I just thought I’d try a different shape for these for fun. Cheers Connie ~
Yes, it’s not everyone’s thing… I just love the rich, bold flavour but I get that it’s not appealing to all. I’m glad you like this recipe Chef Mom and thank you so much for stopping by!
Funnily, I couldn’t detect much of a chili flavour although one of my son’s definitely could! I thought the chili was a nice match-up with the full-bodied flavour of the blackstrap but you can play around with different spicing to see what you like best. Have a great camping weekend Lynn!
Hi Jacquie, yes, you can absolutely fashion this recipe into conventional bars. Simply place the batter in a parchment paper lined square cake pan (8 x 8 roughly) with parchment coming up along sides and slightly hanging over (you will use the overhang to pull out the singular slab after baking). Bake the slab for roughly the same time frame and allow it to cool. Once cool, (and somewhat hardened), pull slab out of pan using parchment paper ends and lay on a flat surface/cutting board. Use a knife to cut full length rectangles (about 2″ wide) and then cut the rectangles in half or quarters as desired. Hope that helps!
Sissi, thank you for this very thoughtful note…your too generous with your compliments (but do continue ;-) – it should indicate on the bottle somewhere if it’s blackstrap molasses but you could also look at the nutrition facts panel to see if it lines up with the blackstrap nutrient profile. I love the taste of it too! Thanks again Sissi :)
I know what you mean, it creates a whole different appearance when they’re mixed… but oh, the taste… ;-)
Love these granola cups! Packed with lots of wholesome goodness!
Oh I’m with you on the blackstrap molasses – it’s so delicious. Love all of the mix of ingredients and nutrients in these, especially the use of coconut oil and 75% cacao!
Oh wow!!! Your granola is packed with great nutrition. I believe it’s the maximum load of goodies you can add since you are very serious about making it. I should be eating this rather than anything sweet. I first need to check what is missing in my pantry. Looks delicious! This is also a great snack for my kids too. Thanks for the wonderful recipe, Kelly!
Oooo, Kelly,
how can something so utterly healthy look SO good?
WOW Wow Wow. Xxxxx
I Love Granola!
I get excited about these things too!! I like how you made them in little cups. These are perfect- I don’t like buying granola in stores….the second ingredient listed is always the sweetener!! I have found a couple kinds at local farmer’s markets that are better…but they are pretty much homemade. Homemade is best! Thanks for the recipe Kelly.
Delicious, healthy, and portable? It doesn’t get any better than that.
How healthy and fantastic does that look.
Breakfast just got interesting again! I do love my granolas and this makes it even better! And I love the use of molasses … one of my very favorite flavors.
I think I’d eat them before they made it into the oven…have never tried blackstrap molasses but it’s great to know there are vaguely healthy sweetening options out there!
HOw great. The ingredient list is impressive to say the least. I love quick go to snacks made from wholesome ingredients. Bookmarked to try!
Kelly, I’m a huge believer in the health benefits of Blackstrap molasses. I keep a huge bottle in the pantry and regularly just pour some into a soup and eat it! It’s SO good! But…I’ve never put it on granola, and why not – I have no idea. These granola cups look delicious – so healthy and easy to take with you when on the go. Great recipe!
You are speaking Miss A’s language here Kelly! You know she’s absolutely addicted to granola. I think I’m going to make these with her this week. I could use a good baking day with my baby girl. :)
I havve to agree homemade granola is the best…No second question on this!!
These look so perfect, little cups of health and deliciousness!!!
these granola muffins look fabulous! love how you used quinoa flour :).
What a fun and nutritious granola recipe!
Wow, this recipe really packs a nutritional wallop … Excellent!
These look and sound like something I would love, Kelly. The risk would be to try not to scarf them all down in one sitting. Kasha is a Kellogg brand, and like all multi-nationals I am weary about the actual benefits offered. I will always choose home made over store bought. Hope you have a great week.
i love granola bars, but my bars can’t stay in a proper bar, they always crumble. this recipe is perfect for to-go snack, can’t wait to try this soon!
Very Nice. I bet you could make those into bars also. I make granola bars all the time. Great pictures.
I’ve never tried blackstrap molasses, but I’m not a licorice fan so I might just be forced to stick with the cousin instead. That won’t keep me from giving these a try though. I think they look amazing.
yummy! I can’t wait to try these. These will be perfect for our up coming camping trip – an excellent snack for our hikes. Curious about the chili powder, you surprised with that… I trust that the blend of all flavours will be quite a treat!
lynn
i’m very much in agreement w/ you in terms of purchased so called “healthy” snacks – in general NOT. do you have any thoughts on making this into more of a traditional type of granola rather than the cups – do you think just baking it on a sheet pan would do it? or would the moisture content need to be changed?
thanks.
Kelly, these cups are the quintessence of what you present on your blog: delicious, practical, quick, easy, versatile and extremely healthy (oh, and beautiful too!). I totally agree that all the “healthy” snacks have always something wrong (sometimes it’s hydrogenated fat, usually too much sugar etc.). I don’t know if these are blackstrap molasses, but the molasses I can buy here are quite dark… I must check if my organic shops sell darker ones. Anyway, I love their taste! Thank you for the inspiring recipe! I must make these one day and keep as a snack (I’m sure they keep forever).
What a delicious and fun way to make granola – those ancient grains in the bowl almost look too pretty to mix up!