Gluten-Free Whole Grain Crunchy Clusters: Snack or Breakfast on the Go

Corn & Rice Crunchy Clusters & Chocolate Chia Seed Explosion Clusters

I was fed up with buying overpriced granola bars for my kids. Trying to find “safe” options (no casein/dairy, high fructose corn syrup, gluten, funky additives, ect.) without breaking the bank, is a frustrating experience. So I decided to try out this recipe from the 7 Secrets Cookbook (Neva & Jim Brackett). I’m most proud of the fact that I added chia seeds to the chocolate clusters. Chia seeds have amazing nutritional properties and are rather inexpensive when bought in bulk. These turned out delicious. I like the texture and flavor–a little sweet and little salty. Chock full of fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein, these serve as the perfect treat, snack, or breakfast on the go.

Crunchy Clusters

To make the syrup:

1 c. brown rice syrup
1/4 c. honey (or agave)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 TBS. molasses (I use blackstrap molasses)
3 TBS. nut butter (almond, peanut, or cashew works well; I used almond butter)
1/2 tsp. butter flavor-OPTIONAL (this is vegan)
1/2 tsp. salt

The whole grain part (see below the recipe to see how I made two different kinds)

8 c. puffed whole grain cereal (rice, corn, millet, or wheat–a mixture is good)
1/2 c. each (about 1-2 c. total): any combination of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, pecans, or peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place syrup ingredients except for the nut butter, in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add nut butter.

2. Combine cereal and nuts in large bowl. Add hot syrup and mix together.

3. Wet hands and press entire mixture into a large sheet pan (spray with non-stick spray). Bake at 350 F until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes (don’t overcook, it burns easily). Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes, then scribe with a knife into squares, or long rectangles. Let cool further to harden, then break.

I split the whole grain part in two:

Corn & Rice:

2 c. puffed corn, 2 cups puffed rice cereal,

1/2 c. pumpkin seeds, 1/2 c. sunflower seeds, 1/2 c. sesame seeds

Chocolate Chia Seed Explosion: 3 c. Envirokidz Koala Chocolate Rice Puffs (I was trying to get rid of these somehow because my kids would eat it for breakfast and be hungry 20 minutes later…combining it with the other stuff makes it more filling), 2 c. regular rice puffs, 1/2 c. carob chips (vegan or non-vegan chocolate chips also work here too), 1/2. c. chia seeds (this was the secret ingredient, adding omega-3’s and a little extra nutrition; you couldn’t even tell these were in there, they blended in with the chocolate so well), 1/2 c. sesame seeds.

Pour half the syrup on one batch, half on the other batch (if you make two different kinds).

Then MIX! I think this was my favorite part: snacking on the mixture when it got this point. It was sweet, crunchy, warm, and a little sticky, which made for a good finger-lickin’ time.