Recipe: Chunky Monkey Hazelnut Granola

Chunky Monkey Granola

Chunky Monkey Hazelnut Granola


Chunky Monkey Granola

Your kids will be excited to learn that here in Oregon, we are the proud producers of 99% of the U.S. hazelnut crop. With the fall harvest just around the corner, it is the perfect time to get your kids in the kitchen and cooking with local hazelnuts. They’ll love the buttery taste from the hazelnuts paired with sweet banana and chocolate chunks in this crunchy granola.
10 (½ cup) Servings

 

You Will Need:

3 cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup mashed ripe banana (1 large banana)
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips

 

Make It:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
  2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (oats through salt).
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (banana through vanilla) or process in a blender until well combined. Pour into dry mixture and combine with a rubber spatula.
  4. Evenly spread granola on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir in the hazelnuts. Cook for an additional 20 minutes until golden. Let granola cool completely and stir in chocolate.  Store in a jar or airtight container.

 

Kids in the Kitchen:

Start with a visit to the Portland Farmer’s Market at Portland State University on Saturday and visit the stand of Freddy Guys Hazelnuts – a family-run hazelnut orchard that grows, harvests, and roasts their own hazelnuts. Once you’re back in the kitchen, have your kids measure all the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients. Have them make the recipe their own by giving them some options. You can ask if they’d like to use cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie spice (for the spice). Give them the option of swapping in ½ cup of quinoa or millet for ½ cup of the oats or tossing in ⅓ cup of dried fruit (such as cherries, cranberries, or blueberries) along with the chocolate.

About Jennifer Bryman

Jennifer Bryman is Co-Founder of The Heart’s Kitchen, a boutique consulting organization based in Portland, Oregon. The Heart's Kitchen works with natural food producers and health organizations nationwide to develop recipes and nutrition education materials.

After a successful 13-year career as senior-level business professional in the financial services industry, Jen decided to move across the country to begin a new career that aligned with her longtime passions for cooking and childhood obesity prevention. To become an expert in her field, she completed the world-renowned culinary school at the Robert Reynolds Chef Studio as well as the Gluten-Free and Speciality Diets program at San Francisco Baking Institute. She is a recipe contributor to Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables (Ten Speed Press).

Jennifer is Treasurer of the Board at the Portland Culinary Alliance, and former Vice-Chair of the board at Upstream Public Health. She also provides cooking demonstrations at schools in Northwest Portland and is a recipe contributor to NW Kids Magazine.