Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola
on Mar 26, 2013, Updated Jul 17, 2024
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I have a confession to make, I snack A LOT. I’ve always enjoyed snacking, but ever since I’ve started running more it’s gotten much worse. I always have to have things to nibble on, whether it be nuts, yogurt, cheese, muffins, a spoonful of almond or peanut butter, veggies, fruit, cookies, or granola like the Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola I made here.
I did a lot of thinking and my top 5 favorite healthy snacks are plain Greek yogurt with honey and cinnamon (and granola if I have some around), sugar snap peas (dipped in Hoisin sauce is even better), hard boiled egg whites with dijon mustard (hey I didn’t say they were normal snacks), cottage cheese, and a frozen banana with almond butter for dipping.
My top 5 favorite not so healthy snacks are cookies, yogurt covered pretzels, jelly belly’s, dark chocolate chips, and dill pickles. Can you tell I’m a salty sweet kind of girl!
Back to the granola. Basically this granola is taking two things I love and turning them into a snack instead of a lunch, although with the number of handfuls I shoveled into my mouth when it came out of the oven it probably ended up being more like my lunch.
To make the granola, combine the oats, cinnamon, peanuts, and, almonds together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl whisk together the honey, peanut butter, jam (I used Morello Cherry Preserves, it tasted amazing!), and the almond and vanilla extracts.
Next, pour the wet mixture in with the dry, and mix away with a wooden spoon until all of the oats are coated with the yummy peanut butter and jelly.
After all the oats are coated spread them out on to a cookie sheet covered in foil and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 40 minutes. Halfway through the baking give it a stir so every piece gets nice and crunchy. When it’s done baking let it cool for about 20 or 30 minutes (unless you are like me and can’t wait and proceed to dig in a burn your mouth in the process) and then add in the dried chopped cherries.
So there you have it a classic combination turned into a snack that you can eat by the handful. Let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats gluten-free if needed
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
- 1/2 cup almonds chopped
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 cup natural smooth peanut butter
- 3/4 cup Morello Cherry Preserves
- 1/2 t. almond extract
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, cinnamon, peanuts, and almonds.
- In a smaller bowl whisk together the honey, peanut butter, preserves, and extracts until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix together until the oats are covered in the peanut butter mixture.
- Pour the mixture out onto the cookie sheet and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 40 minutes stirring it half way through the baking.
- Let the granola cool for 20-30 minutes and then mix in the chopped dried cherries.
- Store the granola in an airtight container or jars. It can also be kept in the freezer.
I just took a hatch out of the oven. It sure tastes like peanut butter & jelly! It also seems a lot moister than other granola I have made. Admittedly, my experience is slim. The peanut butter/cherry preserves/honey was very thick, and I wasn’t convinced I could get it mixed with the oats evenly, so I popped it into the microwavevthree times at 30 second increments to loosen it. Worked like a charm. It was still thick but definitely more manageable. Once I got that incorporated it seemed like a lot of wet still, so I added another half cup of oats. It will be interesting to see what it’s like once cool. My sense is it will be more snack than cereal with milk, but we will see. I used Safeway all natural (no sugar) peanut butter and toasted raw peanuts. Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I am kicking myself that I have lived this long without the delight of home-made granola.
Thanks for trying out the granola Karen! I hope you are converted to making you own from now on, the smell of it baking alone keeps me making it!
Is there a reason to put almonds in rather than just peanuts?
Hi Karen! There isn’t really a reason I chose the almonds over peanuts, just personal preference. Feel free to substitute peanuts if you prefer them.