Whenever I think of a nice leisurely weekend morning, my mind brings me right to the idea of pancakes.  One of the things I love most about them is the fact that they are so versatile.  I've made everything from pumpkin pecan, to red velvet to carrot cake, but my most recent obsession has been granola pancakes!  Surprise!  

I'm not talking about simply adding a touch of granola on top of your stack as a nice garnish, I mean adding a generous portion of fresh granola right into the batter.  The sweet granola becomes spread throughout the fluffy cakes which adds not only wonderful flavor but an awesome texture.  So next time you grab the Bisquick, think about adding a few touches to take your average flapjack into a gourmet delicacy. 

Whole-Grain Granola Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Purely Simple Nuts About Granola
• sliced strawberries and banana (optional) 

Directions:

Heat griddle or 12 inch skillet over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a medium bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, and water with a whisk until well blended. Pour the egg mixture into the flour and gently combine. Fold in the granola until mixed throughout.

For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle.  Cook pancakes 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbly on top.  Turn; cook 1 to 2 minutes on other side or until golden brown.

Place 2 pancakes on each serving plate. Top with sliced strawberries and banana.

Nuts About Granola is excited to announce that we are now selling two new sought after products online.  The custom BLEND Retreat Exclusive (limited edition) flavor and The Bar, our very own granola bar. 

The BLEND is a creation based from the recent first annual blogger retreat in Boulder, Colorado, Blend.  Rather than just provide one of our signature flavors to the attendees, we wanted to go above and beyond and create an exclusive flavor designed solely on the vote of ingredients from our fans.  This flavor is all about YOU.  Everything you love most in a wonderful blend of granola. 

The Bar is something our fans have been asking for for years!  Now you can have the convenience of enjoying the straight out of the bag taste of granola in an easy to eat bar.  It's perfect to take with you for whenever that granola craving hits. They come in two fabulous flavors, Peanut Butter and Trail Mix. 

Both the BLEND Retreat Exclusive and The Bar are available to purchase on our website so grab them while they're hot! 

This recipe is a perfect staple for many cheesecakes, pies or bars.  It uses just three ingredients which are most likely in your kitchen right now.  We suggest using our Plain Jane Gluten Free flavor to ensure that this can also be enjoyed for someone who may have a gluten intolerance.  

Vegan Granola Pie Crust {Gluten Free}

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups Plain Jane GF granola
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup vegan butter or margarine, melted (such as Earth Balance) 
• water as needed

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Process the granola in a blender or food processor until fine.  Add melted butter and sugar.  If mixture is still crumbly, add a bit of water until it's fully processed.

Gently press into a pie tin. Bake for 6-8 minutes.  

This month, Monica is featured with our Mexican Hot Chocolate flavor.  Even though this seasonal flavor is no longer available, we'll be excited to bring it back and hope you all will try it next fall. 

Flavor of the Month- Mexican Hot Chocolate 

Featured Blogger- Monica, Run Eat Repeat

How often do you eat granola? 

If I have it in the house I eat it everyday until it's gone. I love granola!!!

In your own words, describe your featured flavor granola.

I love eating granola straight from the bag. It's one of my favorite treats so I really enjoy grabbing a few handfuls after lunch as dessert. 

Thanks Monica! 

To see previous Featured Blogger Flavor of the Months click on any of the links below. 

Julie- March

Janetha- April 

Ever since I first tried them, it has been my mission to find a similar recipe in an effort to recreate them.  Even though I believe it's impossible to replicate them exactly, I did manage to find something that came pretty close. 

Granola Date Nut Cookies 

Ingriedents: 

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups purely simple nuts about granola
• 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the granola, dates and peanuts. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Remove cookies to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

Nuts About Granola is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of this event and also to have created a very own custom BLEND flavor of granola exclusively for the retreat.  What makes this flavor so unique is that we let YOU create it.  Voting took place last month where fans voted on their favorite ingredients in each select category.  The winning ingredient in each category would be used in the final product to create the custom BLEND.

 

 

 

Oats, honey, almonds, organic chia seeds, dried cherries, and coconut oil all come together in a beautiful blend of beautiful flavor.

The new flavor will debut at the 2012 BLEND Retreat. All retreat attendees will receive a free sample of the flavor as well as a discount code they can use themselves and/or pass along to their readers to purchase the flavor online at www.NutsAboutGranola.com. Custom BLEND will be available to purchase online beginning May 7th for a limited time.

 

 

This recipe is simple in preparation but complex in flavor.  The added crunch of the granola in these brownies is what makes them so unique and the chocolate mint flavor resembles the taste of soft and gooey thin mint cookie.  

Chocolate Mint Cookie Brownies 

Ingredients

• 1 brownie box mix (I used Kodiak Cakes) 
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Chocolate Mint Cookie Granola

Directions

Combine mix, yogurt, egg and melted butter in a large mixing bowl.  Gently fold in 1/4 cup of the granola. Spread the batter in a greased 13 x 9 pan and sprinkle the reserved granola on top.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. 

If you're like me and enjoy a slightly under baked brownie, take these out of the oven exactly at 45 minutes, otherwise, leave them in the extra 5 minutes. 

The WINNER of the Nuts About Granola Bars Giveaway!! 

Cait's Plate on 

Elizabethtown College is where the granola began its existence as Sarah developed the business over her 4 year term, working closely with the faculty and staff to build her company. She now is giving back a portion of her success to the college helped her start it all. 

The annual Nuts About Granola® Innovation Scholarship will be funded by a portion of the proceeds from the newly released and co-branded, E-town Carrot Cake Granola. It will be awarded to a full-time Elizabethtown College student who demonstrates innovative thinking, creativity and a passion for sustainable living.

This year's theme was Everyday Sustainability. Sustainability can mean many things to many people. Nuts About Granola follows a triple bottom line approach: people, planet and profits. They work to better the planet by sourcing locally, recycling in as many ways as possible and utilizing co-op ordering and deliveries all while providing a positive and profitable work environment.

Everyday sustainability is the little things you do that make a big difference; using reusable shopping bags, bringing your own travel mug and turning off the lights are just a few examples. This year’s scholarship challenged students to take a photo of an innovative, everyday sustainable practice they do to reduce their carbon footprint.

Nuts About Granola was pleased to congratulate Tyler Kunkle for his Everyday Sustainable entry for the 2012 scholarship.  Below is a picture of Tyler and Sarah from Tuesday night's ceremony as well as Tyler's winning photo. 

If you enjoy a fresh baked granola bar that tastes authentically homemade than these are for you!  The chewy bars are a replication of our delicious artisanal granola.  Simply grab a bar for ideal on the go snacking that packs an impressive 6g of protein and 4g of fiber.  

The Nuts About Granola Bars are available now at our York and Lancaster Market locations and will soon be available to purchase online.  Until then, we want to share a taste with one lucky reader.  Simply leave a comment on this post with which flavor you'd like to try most and you will be automatically entered for a chance to win a sampling of each of the new granola bar flavors. 

Contest will be open until Monday, April 23rd and a winner will be announced in next week's post. 

Our latest creation is the new logo design on our local organic cotton t-shirts and sweatshirts. 

The first 25 people to pre-order the new t-shirt or sweatshirt will receive a FREE water bottle.  

Now you can eat your granola and wear it too. 

Tell us what you think.  What are your thoughts on the new design for our clothing line?