Basic Chunky Granola (for People AND Pets!)

It's been a while since I made granola - and this incredibly simple, no frills, helplessly clustery batch is a treat for both humans and animals (like my sister's rats!) I added dried apple bits to this mix, but you can experiment with your favourite fruit or nuts.

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We are an animal loving household. At one point, I believe we had three cats, a dog, several fish and 3 or 4 rats living with us! Apart from the fish, every pet of ours has received homemade treats of some kind from me - and nothing is as popular as the granola I make for my sister's mischief of rats.

A simple blend of oats, sweeteners and seeds is sometimes all you need as a snack. This granola isn't super sweet, but is incredibly filling! The egg whites and cornstarch in this recipe ensure the granola clumps together in big chunks, so you never have to deal with granola thats just sweetened, toasted oatmeal bits.

This recipe is not only perfect for rodent treats, it is a wonderful base for any granola additions you desire! Want different nuts, seeds, fruit.... even chocolate chips or M&Ms? Easy! Same with adding spices and other flavourings. You can change up the type of flaked grains, or even add cocoa powder and a bit of extra sugar to make chocolate granola if you desire too. The large chunks of this granola mean it's perfect for snacking on its own, but they're easy to break into crumbles for your yoghurt too.

Basic Chunky Granola (for People AND Pets!)

Serves probably 12 or so humans

3 cups old-fashioned oats

½ cup instant oats

2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup nuts or seeds of choice (sunflower seeds are popular with the rats, we like almonds for humans)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce (you can use pumpkin puree or any other pureed fruit sauce)
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

2 egg whites
¾ cup dried fruit (optional)

1. Heat oven to 300° F and line a baking sheet with parchment or SilPat.
2. Mix together the oats, cornstarch, and nuts / seeds in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, mix together the applesauce, sugar, honey, and salt. Heat in the microwave for about 1 - 1½ minutes, until almost boiling. 
4. Pour the hot liquids into the oat mixture and stir until the oats are moistened.
5. Add the vanilla and egg whites and mix well to coat everything.
6. Spread the oat mixture onto the baking sheet and lightly press down with damp hands (don't squash it completely compact, but enough to hold it together.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes. 
8. Let cool for about 20-30 minutes, then crumble into a bowl and gently mix in the dried fruit. 
9. Store in an airtight container.