It has always been really important to me that my kids love raisins. From the time they were little, I pushed California raisins as snacks because I knew they were full of fiber, potassium and iron. Also, I loved the portability of a super naturally-sweet snack. We could eat raisins anywhere and the kids wouldn’t have smudges on their cheeks or stains on their clothes. Now that they are mostly older (only one is still in elementary school, while three are in high school and one has flown the coop), they still love them. While eating them plain is fine, it’s fun to “fancify” them into fun snacks like these Oatmeal Clusters with Raisins.
Now that school has started up again (for the last time for The Thinker who is a senior), I try to keep nutritious snacks available as the kids come in the door. The older three are like a veritable whirlwind, arriving around 2pm and heading straight for the kitchen. They open the refrigerator and the pantry door, devouring everything in sight. I heard one say, just the other day, “Oh good, Raisins!” Princess Pat has an early lunch, so I send her raisins for in-school snack time. I feel good about sending those all-natural, dried by the sun treats. They are also a very frugal snack; according to the USDA, they are the most economical dried fruit on the market.
For all of us in the family, the big clusters in granola are our favorites, so I made a recipe that was 80% big clusters. They were perfect in a little baggy on the go or by the handful at home. The littler pieces ended up in a bowl with milk….because cereal is an anytime meal, right? That is especially so if that homemade cereal is full of California raisins!!
1. Info for Oatmeal Clusters with Raisins
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: unavailable
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Oatmeal Clusters with Raisins
- 3 cups regular or gluten free oats
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
3. Directions:
- Combine the oats, almond flour, sorghum flour, salt, cinnamon and pistachios.
- Toss with coconut oil to coat.
- In a saucepan, boil coconut palm sugar and maple syrup until sugar dissolves.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Pour sugar mixture over oat mixture and toss to coat.
- Let cool slightly and then with your hands mix everything together, forming clumps as you mix.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 36 minutes, turning the pan one quarter way every 9 minutes.
- Let cool completely and then add the raisins.
- Note: you can add the raisins before you bake the clusters if you want them inside, but they will plump as they cook and you will lose the granola feel of the recipe.