Do you like breakfast cereals? I don’t. They never really fill me up in the morning, and I disdain the frosted cardboard taste and texture. But everyone else in my family likes cold cereal, so I usually keep some around for dire circumstances like postpartum and days that my husband leaves for work before 6:30. He doesn’t feel like frying eggs or pancakes at 6 AM, and I don’t blame him. But I also don’t get up that early these days, with a baby keeping me up all hours.
At any rate, when I found a recipe for homemade breakfast cereal, I was only too happy to try it and ditch the honey-flavored rings defying my nutrition goals from the corner cupboard. The first attempt turned out pretty well, I thought. Except for the fact that my kids refused to eat it.
So I played with the recipe a bit until we came up with this version. The original recipe, printed in The Simple Bites Kitchen, does not call for sugar, but I added some for the sake of peace. Two teaspoons of sugar spread out through 12 cups of cereal doesn’t seem too bad. It makes more of a difference in sweetness than you would think, though. The original recipe was supposed to be an “apple crisp” flavor, but… my kids don’t like dried apples for some reason. So I switched up the dried fruits and nuts for a combination that suits my family better. You can adjust them freely to match your own taste.
The cereal we ended up with is a sort of compromise between muesli, granola, and conventional cold cereal. It takes grains and seeds (like muesli), and toasts them (like granola), then mixes them with dried fruit and puffed grains–which could easily be used as a cereal without the extras. The combination certainly adds variety to the breakfast table, while providing ample amounts of protein, carbs, and fiber to hungry kids and grownups alike. Serve it with whole milk or yogurt, and maybe some fresh or frozen fruit for added flavor.
Variations on the Basic Muesli Recipe
You can find many ways to vary this recipe:
- In place of the oats, try a rolled 7-grain mix
- Add more spices like cloves or nutmeg, or stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Try orange juice instead of apple cider
- Drizzle in a bit of honey or maple syrup instead of the sugar
- Switch up the dried fruits and nuts
- Use different puffed grains
I made a valiant effort to make puffed quinoa for this recipe. It tasted fine, but no matter what method I used, the grains never seemed to get any bigger. To me, it just wasn’t worth to toast half a cup of grains and end up with half a cup of “puffed” grains that got lost in the mix.
If you want to make your own puffed grains, it is pretty easy, and you might well have more success than me! They did taste good, even if they didn’t puff up much.
If you try any variations and find one you like, please let me know! I love to try different flavor and texture combinations.
Method
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Set out two large, rimmed baking sheets and line them with parchment paper. (I don’t know if this step is completely necessary, but I always do it out of habit.)
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, and pepitas. You may substitute these for different nuts and seeds, but keep the amounts equal.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the apple cider, sugar, and spices. Stir thoroughly, then pour over the oat mixture and toss to combine. So far, this sounds like a granola recipe, but this mixture won’t clump together like granola does.
Spread it out over the two prepared baking sheets. Pop them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Stir every 10-15 minutes, and rotate the pans. Try not to let the oats get too dark. We’re not making granola, just bringing out the flavor of the grains and nuts by toasting them.
Cool the oat mixture on the pans for 5 minutes or so, then carefully pour everything into a large bowl to cool completely.
Mix in the dried fruits and puffed grains, and you’re all set! Transfer the cereal to an airtight container, and relax in the knowledge that breakfast is ready. The cereal will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 weeks… if it lasts that long!
A Real Breakfast Cereal
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups oats rolled or quick
- 1 cup dried coconut flakes
- 1 cup sliced almonds raw
- 1 cup pepitas raw
- 1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp Demerara or raw sugar
- 1 cup dried apple rings chopped
- 1 cup raisins
- 3 cups puffed wheat
- 3 cups puffed rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Stir together the oats, coconut flakes, almonds, and pepitas in a mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix the apple cider, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar. Stir well to combine. Pour over the oat mixture and toss to coat evenly.
- Spread the mixture out over both baking sheets in a thin, even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes and rotating pans. Do not let the mixture get too dark!
- Cool on pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl to cool completely.
- Finally, mix in the dried apples, raisins, puffed wheat, and puffed rice. Store in an airtight container. This cereal will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 weeks.
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