We had a surplus of granola, so I decided to see what would happen if I ground it in the food processor and put the ground granola in chocolate chip cookies.
Using the old urban legend cookie where ground oats stand in for some of the flour, I swapped the oats for granola. The result was a thicker, chewier and very tasty cookie. There was a pretty significant texture difference in the cookies baked with dough that had been chilled for 24 hours and the cookies I baked right away, so if you have the time, chill the dough. The way I did it was to shape the giant cookie dough balls, lay them on a plate, chill, then bake.
I can’t wait to make more of these, and it will be interesting to see just how using different flavors of granola affect the flavor of the cookie. For this recipe, I used 1 1/4 cups with a total weight of 5 ounces. I also picked out any fruit before grinding, but I’m not sure that was totally necessary, as the ground fruit might have made the texture even more interesting.
- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) loose homemade granola
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts (optional)
- Don’t preheat the oven because the dough needs to chill.
- In a food processor, grind the granola into a fine meal. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and both sugars until light and creamy, scraping the side of the bowl often. Add the egg and vanilla and beat jut until mixed.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until blended, then stir in the ground granola, chips and nuts.
- With a generously heaping tablespoon, scoop up balls of dough and arrange on a plate. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight.
- Arrange on on ungreased baking sheet spacing about 2 ½ to 3 inches apart. Press tops down slightly.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until cookies appear brown around the edges and the centers look set. Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Kitchen worktops guy says
June 6, 2012 at 6:31 amCan’t wait to try making these – I always prefer cookies that are more textured.
Paula B. says
June 5, 2012 at 7:30 pmAlways have granola on hand and who doesn’t want a new c.c. cookie recipe to try, yum. And thanks!
Katrina says
June 5, 2012 at 1:24 pmGreat idea! I have a plethora of granola right now, too. (Surprise.) I’ll have to try these.
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
June 5, 2012 at 12:41 pmwhat a great idea! i love using the food processor to pulverize different things:) ahah i feel like a culinary scientist!
Stephanie says
June 5, 2012 at 12:34 pmI think I’ll do the reverse of your cookies, grind up some cookies in my granola!!! I’m sure it will make for a very tasty breakfast.
Sue says
June 5, 2012 at 11:50 amGreat idea! The only cookies I’ve baked lately are your Friendly Kitchen Cookies. I’ve baked them twice in the last month. Fortunately I’ve given most of both batches away. I LOVE those cookies and can’t leave them alone when they’re in the house. These seem like they’d be a nice variation on the oatmeal ccc.
Darlene says
June 5, 2012 at 10:56 amInspiring! I love how you think outside the box, and your blog encourages us to do so, also.
Awkward Kitchenette says
June 5, 2012 at 10:46 amGreat idea! I’ll be interested to hear about the dried fruit and what it does to the cookie, we always have granola around!
vanillasugarblog says
June 5, 2012 at 10:08 amwhat a great idea!
I hate granola, but love oatmeal cookies. I bet these would be awesome in oatmeal cookies too
Lisa Ernst says
June 5, 2012 at 8:54 amI like the browned edges on these cookies — they have the look of my favorite ccc’s — browned crunchy edges and a little soft and moist inside. I’ve not tried ground granola in cookies, but I’m sure it would add some nice flavor.