Protein packed peanut butter granola- baked with egg whites for increased protein and crispiness, enhanced with collagen powder and packed with all the nutrients of the nuts and tastes great!
The race for MORE protein is on! And if you can pack it in to your granola along with peanut butter then hey! You are well on your way! —if you are like us and you have Granola at least once a day…morning and as a night cap before bed just to top you off, then this granola is for you!
Not only is there protein in peanut butter, but I also used egg whites [out of the carton from Costco] to use as a binding agent AND extra protein. It brings far less fat than coconut oil, so swap some of the coconut oil out and swap in egg whites! The egg whites up the protein and makes it a tad bit more crunchy:)
WHY EGG WHITES?
Studies suggest that consuming egg white proteins can help increase muscle mass, strengthen muscles, reduce cholesterol, and decrease body fat. This makes egg whites a valuable part of a healthy diet, especially for those focusing on fitness and weight management.
WHY DO EGG WHITES MAKE THINGS CRISPY? I rode the egg white hair trend in the early 2000’s as part of my favorite high school crunchy curly hair do. Too bad camera phones weren’t able to capture the crunchy curl so i have little evidence but the sticky hands and smell memory. So seeing that egg whites make things crispy is no news to me. Adding it to my granola was obviously the next best move for my use of egg whites.
The protein in egg whites coagulates (sets) rapidly when heated, forming a thin, stable layer on the surface of the food. Its because egg whites have NO fat, so the protein allows them to set quickly and form a firm, thin layer when cooked, creating a crisp texture on the outside of food while the moisture evaporates; essentially acting as a “binder”.
WHY COLLAGEN?
Collagen accounts for 30% of your body’s protein. It provides structure, support or strength to your skin, muscles, bones and connective tissues. So adding collagen to this mix just strengthens the nutrient load of your granola. I use either Vital Proteins. Or, And by adding it to the dry ingredients, it mixes in well!
THE INGREDIENTS:
- oats
- chopped peanuts
- sliced almonds
- unsweetened shredded coconut
- chia seeds
- flaxseeds
- hemp seeds
- collagen powder
- peanut butter
- coconut oil
- egg whites
- maple syrup/honey
- salt
- vanilla extract
- almond extract
THE STEPS:
- Mix the wet ingredients together! If the coconut oil is room temp and your maple syrup or egg whites are coming straight from the fridge, you need to either heat up the maple syrup or wait until the egg whites are room temp. If you mix them all, the coconut oil will harden and it will be clumpy. Which is fine, just not as easy to mix.
- Mix the dry ingredients into a very LARGE bowl. Add the wet to the dry and you are set!
- Bake at 325. I have found that baking at 325 for a longer period of time is the key to crunchy, evenly baked granola and NOT burnt.
- Don’t stir! Don’t sir the granola when you take it out. Let it cool on the pan. This will keep it chunky:)
IMPORTANT TIPS:
HARD COCONUT OIL MIXTURE– If you mix the coconut oil at room temp and cold maple syrup or egg whites…the coconut oil will congeal and it will look like this. If it does, put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds so it is easier to stir and mix in the oats.
CHUNKY– the key to chunky is letting it cool on the pan BEFORE putting it away in your air tight container. If you don’t like chunks, then by all means mix mix!
TOO DRY?- If your granola seems too dry, just mix a bit more egg whites/sweetener/coconut oil. Any of the combination. Start with small amounts as it can become we quickly:)
ADD IN’s – You can sub any nut or seed you have on hand! Also, if you don’t have egg whites, no problem! Just add mre coconut oil in its place. Granola is VERY forgiving and generous. It can be tweaked to your liking:)
If you need some inspiration for NEW combinations of nuts or other granolas…try my HEALTHY NUT GRANOLA or my 30 MIN VANILLA ALMOND CHIA SEED GRANOLA, or this EASY PECAN GRANOLA
Protein Peanut Butter Granola [made with Egg whites]
Protein Packed Peanut Butter Granola—enhanced with collagen powder, baked with egg whites, this peanut butter protein is packed with nutrients and tastes great!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 30 min
- Yield: buckets and buckets
- Category: Granola
- Method: Bake
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 6 cups oatmeal
- 1 cup ground oatmeal
- 2 cups sliced almonds
- 2 cups unroasted, unsalted peanuts [chopped ]
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup collagen
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup hemp hearts/seeds
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup sweetener
- 1/4 cup peanut butter [chunky/smooth]
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepeare 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and have ready.
In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and the salt. [coconut oil + sweetener + egg whites + peanut butter + vanilla/almond extracts + salt]
In a very large bowl, combine the rest of the dry ngredients. [oats + oat flour + sliced almonds + peanuts + unsweetened coconut + collagen powder + chia seeds + hemp seeds + flaxseed meal].
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of the dry and mix!
Lay in single layer on the cookie sheet, making sure there are no stragglers on the ends as they will get burned.
Bake for 12-15 min depending on how thick you laid the granola. Remove from the oven and let cool without stirring. This creates the chunks:) Place in your desired air tight container once cooled! Inhale!
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