Crunchy Clusters

For breakfast, I'm a sour dough toast gal. Not a cereal fan... at all. I can bring my self to the occasional bowl of porridge but the isles full of breakfast cereals in the supermarket don't interest me in the slightest. I've learnt to eat muesli but, my preference is the toasted stuff, which I've heard it is full of butter and honey/sugar and that's why it tastes good!

I also find that the best toasted muesli is the highly expensive muesli clusters. These are usually tiny boxes and for some reason as always made to be EXTRAORDINARILY sweet! I can not handle that level of sweetness first thing in the morning and I definitely DON'T want the kids to start the day off with that level of sugar.

So when I saw a recipe in my favourite book Wholefoods for Children by Jude Blereau for a basic muesli cluster that you could add your own ingredients to I just had to try it!

Mix:

6 Cups of Rolled Oats

1 1/2 Cups of Natural Greek Yoghurt

1 Cup of Melted Coconut Oil

Leave it in a bowl, cover and soak overnight.

You end up with an interesting looking slodge but stick with it,
it's worth it!

In a small saucepan heat:

1/2 Cup of Maple Syrup

1/2 Cup or Rice Syrup

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cardamom

2 Teaspoons of Ground Cinnamon

2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract

Until it is warm and runny. Mix it through the oats and spread it over 2 baking trays.

Dry in a low oven of 90*C  for 2 hrs. Pull it out every 30 Mins
and stir it, breaking up large lumps

As it drys it becomes more stir-able

After 2 hrs turn the oven up to 150*C and toast the clusters to desired
 'toasted-ness' watch it at this point as it is easy to 'over-toast' it.

Now select what DELICIOUS ingredients you are going to add to your clusters... Some things we have been enjoying are:

Sliced figs

Dried Cranberries

Goji Berries

Dried Blueberries

Roasted Coconut

Roasted Almonds

Sliced Dates

What ever you like really - We aim for about 4 or 5 in each batch

Mix it all together and ENJOY!!!