A huge thank you to Michelle for telling me about this recipe idea!!
First of all, I have to ask – because I know you’re all dying to know the answer to this as well: Why is this cereal called “Grape Nuts” when there are neither grapes nor nuts included in the list of ingredients? Haven’t you always wondered about that? Who named this cereal? And why, if they were going to call it something random like this, did they not call it “Pickle Sprouts” or Olive Berries?” How about “Banana Seeds?” I mean, if we’re going for titles that don’t make sense…
Yeah, don’t waste much time pondering that paragraph.
At the Colorado Springs Meet & Greet, we talked about everything from kids and media time to cereal. When Michelle told us she made a cereal like this, we all got super excited!
Looks like the real deal, huh? This cereal is pretty tasty with berries!
Homemade Grape Nuts is super easy to make, and I personally think it tastes better than the boxed stuff. Can you guess my kids’ first question when I introduced them to this at breakfast? “Looks good, but why is it called Grape Nuts?” I don’t know, Son. I don’t know.
Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
2/3 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven. Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely. Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes “crumb like.”
Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan. Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.
I found it easiest to bake the crumbs in a dish with sides (my 10×15 pyrex) so that I could stir more easily.
Cool the cereal and store it in an air tight container in the pantry (for about two weeks) or freezer (for up to two months).
- 3½ cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat)
- 1 cup sucanat (or brown sugar)
- 2 cups buttermilk (or milk mixed with 2 Tablespoons vinegar)
- ⅔ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Mix all ingredients together, beating well until smooth.
- Spread mixture onto a parchment paper lined (or well buttered) cookie sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a 375° oven.
- Remove cereal from the oven, and cool completely.
- Once cool, grind in a food processor until it becomes "crumb like."
- Return crumbs to cookie sheet or a large baking pan.
- Bake in a 250° oven for one hour or until crisp, stirring every 15 minutes.(I found it easiest to bake the crumbs in a dish with sides (my 10x15 pyrex) so that I could stir more easily.)
- Cool the cereal and store it in an air tight container in the pantry (for about two weeks) or freezer (for up to two months).
The geek in me decided to do the math to see if this was not only a High Five Recipe, but a Real Food Dollar Menu recipe as well. Sure enough! It took about $2.00 to make a batch of this cereal – using all organic ingredients. This makes about twice as much cereal as you would find in a regular sized box of Grape Nuts. When’s the last time you were able to buy a box of whole grain, organic cereal for a buck?
Looking for more meals on our Real Food Dollar Menu? Here are the recipes I’ve shared so far:
- Hearty Chili
- Spanish Rice
- Pasta Alfredo
- Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken
- Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie
- Chili Mac
Tell me you’ve always wondered where Grape Nuts got its name. And by always, I obviously mean, “Yes, I’ve pondered that for a second or two once in my life.”
