One of our family’s go-to summer breakfasts is granola and yogurt. It’s cool and crunchy and easily transportable for our morning errands or busy homeschool schedules. Once we hit fall, though, we are always ready for something new.

This Maple Bacon Granola fits that bill perfectly.

The bacon adds a salty crunch to a sweet granola base, and the addition of some new fats gives it a complex flavor profile any foodie will love.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• 2 cups rolled oats (no quick cooking oats here!)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup cooked bacon pieces
• 1/3 cup fat (I use half butter and half bacon grease!)
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Equipment

This one is really basic- a mixing bowl, something to mix with, a pan to melt your wet ingredients together, and a sheet pan. I also find parchment paper to be extremely helpful here!

How It’s Made

1. First, you’ll want to melt your fats in a pan. I use half butter and half bacon grease. Now, I keep bacon grease in my pantry for such a time as this, but if you don’t (and you should!), you can fry up some bacon and use the grease for the wet ingredients and the freshly cooked bacon in the dry mixture.
2. Once your fats are melted, add in the maple syrup and brown sugar. Allow these to melt into the butter and bacon grease and bubble up a bit. We want a slight caramelization here, just to help build flavor.
3. Mix together the rolled oats, bacon pieces, chopped pecans, and sunflower seeds. –A quick note on the bacon pieces…I keep these real bacon pieces from Sams in my pantry at all times. I add them to eggs and salads and this granola regularly. If I’m adding them to something that isn’t being cooked, I always crisp them up in a pan first, but for this granola, there’s no need. I just measure them out and add them right in and let the cooking part happen in the granola.
4. Combine all the ingredients and spread them out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, doing a thorough mix every 10 minutes just to make sure it’s all evenly cooked.
6. Once cooked through, remove from the oven and let sit until completely cooled. This is, by far, the most difficult part of the entire process. It smells so good that having the self control to not dig right in is difficult. It’s character building. Trust me- let it cool and crisp up.

This granola has extra protein with the bacon and can absolutely top your favorite yogurt, but because it has that sweet and salty vibe happening, it’s a really yummy snack to eat on its own!

Recipe:

Maple Bacon Granola

Ingredients: 2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup cooked bacon pieces 1/4 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup sunflower seeds 1/3 cup fat- I use half bacon grease, half butter 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup brown sugar Instructions: Over the stove, melt your fats of choice with the maple syrup and brown sugar, just until bubbling. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and pour over wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Cook at 350 for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to avoid burning around the edges. Do not mix when you remove it from the oven. Let it cool. Will crisp as it cools. Store in an airtight container for a few days.