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Morning Time Breakfast Granola Cups

By 106 Comments

Granola bars are a hot ticket item in this house.   Believe it or not, we eat our way through about six to eight boxes a week.  My husband fancies them as an accompaniment to his morning cup of freshly brewed joe.   And, in the spirit of true marital bliss, I’ll wholeheartedly agree with his start of the day assessment.  The kids love that they can bound downstairs in the morning and grab their favorite flavor; no adult intervention required.  As you can probably guess, I appreciate this aspect as well.


I’ve made both breakfast bars and granola on this blog before, but have yet to make a granola bar.  As I was researching different recipes and flavors in preparation for putting together my own creation, it hit me.  Why does it have to be a bar?  Why can’t it be a bowl instead?  You could spoon in a little french vanilla yogurt, top it with some fresh berries and in the process you not only take a notch off your daily grain requirements , but cross off a little dairy and fruit from the list as well.   Make them with a regular muffin tin for a full breakfast serving or use a mini muffin tin to make a more bite sized version for on the go or a brunch amongst friends.

Making a batch is a fairly easy and quick process.  Begin by melting a couple pats of butter in a small saucepan along with some honey, molasses, brown sugar and a few spices.

While the mixture is heating up, toss together some oats, wheat germ, flax seed, almonds and dried cranberries in a separate bowl.

Once the mixture is melted and hot, remove it from the heat and pour over the dry mixture.  Stir it up well and coat completely.

Slide the mixture into the fridge to cool for about 20-30 minutes.

Once it’s cooled you’ll spray a little cooking spray inside your muffin tins and drop enough of the mixture in to fill it about 2/3 of the way full.  Beginning in the middle, start pressing down gently with your fingers to form a bowl.  Continue pressing gently around the sides, to complete the shape.  If the mixture sticks to your hands, simply wet your fingers with cold water, shake them off and get back to it.

Slip them into the oven and allow to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size muffin tin you used.  Cool the bowls completely before popping out of the tins.

Here are a collection of small and large bowls to give you a better idea.  Aren’t they adorable?

Welcome to breakfast the way nature intended (or least the way I intend to enjoy it for the next few days).  Simply grab a granola bowl, fill with your favorite yogurt, top with berries and indulge in a healthy start to the morning.

I’m going to throw my hat (and this photograph)  into the ring for a chance to win a scholarship, sponsored by Feastie to the Eat Write Retreat Conference held in DC this May.  Wish me luck!

Print

Morning Time Breakfast Granola Cups

Yield: About 12 regular sized cups or 24 to 30 Mini Cups

Total Time: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Molasses
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger
1/4 tsp Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Old Fashioned Oats (Not Quick Cook)
1/2 Cup Wheat Germ
1/4 Cup Flax Seed
1/4 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

Directions:

To a small sauce pan, add the butter, honey, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.

Heat until butter is melted and ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, almonds and cranberries.

Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir until completely coated.

Place the mixture into the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool.

When ready to bake, grease up a muffin tin and fill each opening about 2/3 full.

Using your fingers press into the center of the hole and then work your way around the edges to form a bowl. If the dough is sticky, wet your fingers with cold water, shake them out, and proceed. Repeat as necessary.

Place the bowls into an oven preheated to 325 degrees. For regular sized muffin cups, cook about 15-17 minutes. For mini muffin cups, cook about 10-12 minutes.

Let cool completely before removing from the tin.

Store in an air tight container. When ready to eat, pull one out and fill with the yogurt of your choice. Top with fresh berries.

 

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Comments

  6. I followed a beautiful picture on foodgawker to find your genius and simple recipe. My current favorite breakfast is yogurt and granola. What a fun way to eat it, and with all real ingredients! Well done.

    Reply

  9. I can just imagine how your kids must have been when they arrrived in teh kitchen. This is so neat; you do come up with such novel ideas.
    Rita

    Reply

  22. Love it!! Great idea plus they’re adorable! I just recently made granola bars for the first time and they tasted great. I love how easy they are to make and yet you can control the ingredients (vs storebought). Thanks for sharing your recipes, I look forward to trying it!

    Reply

  23. These look wonderful. I can’t wait to try them. By the way, I have made your chocolate chip pecan muffins several times for various friends. Everyone raves about them!!!!

    Reply

  32. What a great idea! I’m throwing my sister a brunch bridal shower and was wondering how far in advance I could make these? Would they be ok after a couple of days?

    Reply

  38. Wondering if these would freeze well? Guess I’m about to find out!

    Also, anyone else think these look like little bird’s nests? Wouldn’t they be super cute w/ some candy eggs in them around Easter? 🙂

    Reply

  43. I stumbled across this on pinterest. Had to make them! They turned out so delicious, I am now making my second batch. Thanks for an awesome recipe.

    Reply

  44. I bookmarked this recipe; these look so tasty! I definitely will try to make them soon. I love how you topped them with yogurt and berries, although I will probably have to skip that part so I can take them with me on the go!

    Reply

  47. To Mihela,

    Depends on where you live, I am in Germany and here you substitute with
    something called “Zuckerruebensirup”

    Reply

  53. I’m a personal chef and made these for a baby shower this weekend — everyone loved them (the taste and the presentation). I’ll be making these again for myself and my clients. Thanks!

    • Julie replied: — March 4th, 2012 @ 7:48 pm

      So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂

    Reply

  54. I tried these at a friend’s, and I was stunned by her creativity. When I asked for the recipe she confessed that she found them online… So I’ll pass along the compliment to where it’s due: You’re children are lucky to have such a clever and creative mommie!

    Reply

  56. I tried these and formed them by turning over a muffin tin and shaping them around the outside rather than shaping them on the inside. They were a bit bigger but thinner if that makes any sense. 🙂

    Reply

  57. Hi Julie, My university class was asked by our professor to bring in some small finger foods for breakfast and this is the perfect thing to wow my fellow classmates! Did you ever submit this to that convention you mentioned? If so, how did it go? I wouldn’t be surprised if you won something because this is such a creative idea and the picture looks like it is straight out of a Martha Stewart or Better Home and Garden cookbook!! 🙂

    Reply

  58. Also, Julie, if possible, could you please let us know how many regular-sized granola cups that this recipe makes? Thanks!

    Reply

  59. These look so yummy! I’m so sick and tired of the same old thing for breakfast daily! This will spruce things up a bit! Anybody have any idea how to figure how many WW points plus are in these?

    Reply

  60. I found this on ziplist which I’m addicted to. When I saw your granola cups my mind leapt and danced. I’m a total granola maker. My son loves my homemade granola. Just thought I’d put in what I’ve done: for cranberries i use cranraisins basically because I can find them as a great deal at Costco. I also use coconut, dried dates and any other dried fruit that suits my fancy. But the real deal, I discovered oat flower, just a small amount will help the granola clump so it won’t be so “dusty like”. I also use flax and wheat germ. It makes me feel good that I’m putting that into my son’s diet. Oh, the almonds are available at Costco too. And, I buy the oat meal at Costco too. This way, I’m getting a return on my bulk food investment.
    I won’t say my son’s age or I’d be put in mom jail, but lets just say he’s an early adult poor as they come, and a single guy who has to call me to find out how to do a microwave baked potato. Every visit I put together a big batch.
    Also, this granola can be used to make peanut butter balls. I wanted to make something that can give him quick energy when he’s too busy to catch breakfast of lunch.
    So from one mom doing granola to another, Kudos.

    Reply

  65. I like the idea. Mine fell apart. Do I need to cook them more or at a higher temperature. I waited until they cooled. I only got a couple of good ones. Is it better to use cooking spray. I greased them with butter. I do not have a website.

    Reply

  66. Hmmm…. it’s hard to know without being there to see everything you did. How well did you press them into the tin? They do need to be pressed down firmly or they can fall apart after being cooked. I’m not sure that the butter would make a difference.

    Reply

  67. How long can these be stored? If I meal prep them do they last until Friday?
    and do I keep them in the fridge or on the counter?

    Reply

  70. THANK GOD! Someone actually made them. I wasted time hearing everything about cuteness to good idea, I wanted somebody to say they made it! Thank you for addressing how they tasted!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  2. […] Granola Cups January 18th, 2012 Tweet Here is a great idea for serving a healthy and easy dish at a brunch or breakfast.  It’s a Granola Cup with yogurt and fresh berries.  This would also be great to serve at a baby shower or bridal shower.  You can find the recipe for this at Mommie Cooks. […]

    Reply

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