Soft Baked Granola: Fast, Family-Friendly & Dairy-Free

Once a month we’re featuring a family-friendly recipe from the Hatfields for our Kids Can Cook section. Their dairy-free teen cooking star is Katherine and this week she and her “mama”, Sarah, have two beloved recipes to share. Because their soft baked granola and granola bar recipes go hand in hand.

Our family’s favorite granola recipe is an adaptation of Amy Dacyczyn’s granola recipe from The Tightwad Gazette. This quick and simple granola has a softer, more muesli-like feel than most granolas. Some of my children don’t care for granola that is “crunchy,” but this softer granola is a recipe they all enjoy. Much like the Soft Baked Granola Bars we bake using this granola, it is also a great choice for those with braces–or kids who might be missing some teeth!

It’s also a fast breakfast to make when you’re out of cereal, as it uses items that are usually in your kitchen. You can even leave out the coconut and it will still be just fine. The baking time is just 10 minutes, so you could even make it and serve it on the same morning!

When baked and crumbled, this granola is a nice mixture of lightly toasted oat pieces and chewy brown sugar honey clusters. It’s great on dairy-free yogurt, served with dairy-free milk, mixed into granola bars, or just eaten by itself. I like the added protein boost from the powdered dairy-free milk, and it also helps to create a pleasing texture. You could also mix in flax seed or wheat germ for even more nutrients.

This is a very easy recipe for children to help with and then make by themselves. Younger children can
mix the dry ingredients together and then mix in the honey mixture. Older kids can cook the honey mixture with assistance and bake the granola in the oven. It’s always nice to have easy recipes for kids to make that use ingredients that are already on hand.

Special Diet Notes: Soft Baked Granola

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, optionally vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, and optionally top food allergy-friendly.

Dairy-Free Soft Baked Granola

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This granola has a softer, muesli-style bite that many kids and adults prefer. It also bakes quite quickly since you aren't looking for a crunchy finish. The recipe is adapted from The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn.

Author: Sarah and Katherine Hatfield

Serves: about 6 cups

Ingredients

• ¾ cup packed brown sugar or coconut sugar
• ⅓ cup neutral-tasting oil (your favorite type for baking)
• ⅓ cup honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup
• 5 cups rolled oats (certified gluten free, if needed)
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• ½ cup dairy-free milk powder (coconut, soy, or rice)
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375ºF.
2. Put the sugar, oil, and liquid sweetener in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together and heat just until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Put the oats, coconut (if using), milk powder, cinnamon, and salt in a 9x13-inch baking dish and stir to combine.
4. Pour the melted sugar mixture over the dry mixture in your baking dish. Stir until evenly combined.
5. Bake the granola for 10 minutes.
6. Let the granola cool in the pan on a cooling rack.
7. When the granola is completely cool, break it into chunks by stirring it with a wooden spoon, or crumble it with your hands.
8. Store the granola in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks at room temperature, or freeze it for optimal freshness if you would like to enjoy it later.

3.5.3226

Key Ingredients: Soft Baked Granola