S’mores Granola

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If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, or even read me once in awhile, you’ll know that I’ve been part of the red-faced runners (#rfr5k) for the last few months. The “big race” weekend was this one past. Running a 5k, for me, is a huge achievement. One that I never thought, before 2 years ago, I could do. Now I’ve done three, and I run an average of 3 miles a few times a week. Running an organized 5k is really not that much different for me than running for exercise on a random Monday morning. Which is why, when I join a race, I like it to have personal meaning.

This past Sunday, I raced in the 9/11 Run to Remember in Sacramento. It’s a race to remember the events and the tragedy that occurred 11 years ago, and to celebrate not only the men and women who died in the towers and the planes and at the Pentagon, but also to recognize the heroes that gave their lives in trying to rescue survivors: the firemen and emergency responders. The race is put on by the fire companies in Sacramento and benefits the Sacramento Firefighters Widows and Orphans Fund.

Firemen have a special place in my heart. Both my grandfathers were firemen for Burlingame, the city I was raised in. Funny coincidence: my parents’ families knew each other when my mom and dad were young and before they actually “met” many years later.

Running this past Sunday seemed like a good way to remember that day. I see the footage in my head all the time; I wanted to remember all those men and women in a positive way, instead of a horrific one.

So I ran, and had my best time yet, a slow, leisurely, 34 minutes. 😉

{I must say, I’m used to being an invisible person; that is that no one usually ever really notices me in big crowds. But with those Wonder Woman socks? Man. People were looking at me and coming up to me and asking me about them all day. FYI, I got them on Amazon.}

After a race or a run or I usually need a snack. I know I should reach for something healthy, like an apple, but more often I grab a cup of coffee and a muffin or something less healthy. Which is where granola comes in.

I’ve been sort of infatuated with granola for awhile. Sally makes it all the time. I’ve been really, really wanting to try making it, because buying it is so darn expensive.

It seems that lots of granola has some sort of a peanut butter or similar base. Like Nutella, almond butter, or cookie butter.

When I finally remembered to buy these at Target, I had an epiphany.

I should make S’mores granola. With chocolate and marshmallows. But how to deal with the graham crackers? I thought about using TJ’s Cookie Butter (aka Biscoff), but decided to go all domestic and make something myself.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to your newest favorite thing:

Graham Cracker Butter. Oh, yes I did.

I blended graham crackers, sugar, and vegetable oil in my food processor for a loooong time. And got a new version of butter.

That I then mixed with oats and honey and chocolate and Mallow Bites.

And I made adult Lucky Charms.

Seriously, this stuff is addicting. And it makes you feel like a kid because it turns your milk chocolate.

But it’s granola. So it’s healthy.

S’mores Granola. The perfect after run snack.

S’mores Granola

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Granola recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

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Ingredients

 

For the Graham Cracker Butter:

• ▢ 6 large graham cracker sheets (or 24 little squares)
• ▢ 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the Granola:

• ▢ 2 1/2 cups oats (I used quick cooking, but I think old-fashioned would be better)
• ▢ 2/3 cup honey
• ▢ 2/3 cup graham cracker butter (recipe follows) or Cookie Butter, Biscoff, or peanut butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• ▢ 3/4 cup vanilla mallow bites

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Instructions

Make the Graham Cracker Butter:

• Add graham crackers and brown sugar to a large food processor. Pulse until the graham crackers have become a fine crumb. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and run the food processor for about 4 minutes. Stir. Add the rest of the oil and process for an additional 4-6 minutes, stirring and letting the processor rest after about 3 minutes. (If your processor gets too hot during a long run, let it sit for a minute.)

Make the Granola:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Place honey and graham cracker (or other) butter in a large bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir together (it should be somewhat runny). Add oats and stir until all oats are moistened. Spread on prepared baking sheet.
• Place chocolate chips in the large bowl. Set aside.
• Bake for 15 minutes, remove and stir. Bake for another 15 minutes and then remove from oven. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then pour into the large bowl with the chocolate chips. Stir. The warm granola will make the chocolate melty and bind the granola. Spread back out onto cookie sheet and let cool completely. Add marshmallows to cooled granola and store in a airtight container.

Recipe Notes

The graham cracker butter will be like a thick peanut butter, almost like an almond butter. The result of this recipe is a little gritty, so it would be good to use in recipes like the granola. It would be great on toast too, but you may want to add an additional tablespoon of oil during processing to make it smoother.

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Author Dorothy Kern

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Last Updated on March 9, 2024