Homemade Grape Nuts

Hopefully I will be blogging more recipes more frequently. I didn't realize how long it had been.

I was talking to a friend the other day and she mentioned that it's really easy to find delicious, less healthy recipes and I realized she was right. I have a few recipes I am wanting to post but they are mostly brownies, cupcakes, and more sweet things which are good but I have also been trying to eat healthier so I have been looking for more healthy yet still yummy recipes and this is definitely one of them. 

Grape nuts are ok but they lack flavor and I'm waiting to break my teeth every time I eat them so I was intrigued when I saw this recipe over on the Tasty Kitchen blog. I made it right away and gave some away to a few friends and it definitely got great reviews so it's going in to my arsenal of yummy, filling things to make.

The original recipe calls for sprouted whole wheat but I didn't want to take the time first when I was sure if I liked it or not. I think I will try sprouting my wheat next time because I have been reading about the health benefits of sprouting. (If you are wondering about sprouting your wheat berries just google it. That is what I did). you could also use whole wheat pastry flour but I just ground up some of the wheat I had at home and it worked and tasted well. So try it out and see what you think.

 Grape Nuts

adapted from Tasty Kitchen

*Note: I crumbled and grated to see which I liked better and even though crumbling takes a little more time I definitely liked the big chunks better than the grated bits.


4-½ cups Whole Wheat Flour
½ cups Scant, Light Brown Sugar
1-½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
½ cups Molasses
2 cups Buttermilk
½ cups Butter, Melted
 
Mix the dry ingredients together. Stir in the wet ingredients. Spread in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350ºF for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely.

Cut the cake into squares and crumble with your fingers. If you prefer a finer, less chunky grape nut, grate the squares on a cheese grater. Put the crumbles onto two large baking sheets with sides. Bake at 275ºF, stirring every 15 minutes, for a total of 60 to 90 minutes, or until grape nuts are dry. The timing will depend on the size of your little pieces. Cool on the baking sheets and then transfer to jars for storage. Will keep for several weeks. I’m sure they would freeze, too, if you want to try it.
Yield: about 3 quarts, depending on the size of your grape nuts.