i cannot get enough of this oatmeal cookie granola. i first made it last year and have many dozens upon dozens of batches since then – i think i may actually have the recipe memorized already. haha.

granola makes the perfect gift. i made a whole bunch for christmas last year and packed them in cute mason jars. it’s great because you can easily make a double batch and it keeps well for a while, so the receiver doesn’t have to feel pressured to eat it right away with all of the other holiday sweets. everyone LOVED it and often request it again and again.

chris and i also eat it all the time for for breakfast all the time. it’s delicious with some plain greek yogurt and sliced bananas. but chris doesn’t like coconut, so i just substitute a bit of extra oats and pecans (1/2 cup of each) whenever i make some for him.

in fact, yesterday i made a batch for us to have for breakfast this week. i can’t wait! this oatmeal cookie granola is the perfect way to enjoy all of the flavors you love in an oatmeal cookie, but in a slightly healthier form.

first, combine the oats, pecans, flaxseed, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar and salt in a medium/large bowl.

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remember those waffles i made a while ago?  no not the pumpkin ones, but the plain, regular ones?  well that’s actually not fair to call them plain because they were delicious.  but chris and i definitely prefer waffles that we can just pull out of the freezer, toast, and then eat right up.  no need to worry about a plate, fork, sticky syrup, etc.   just a napkin and you’re good to go.

so i decided to adapt the waffle recipe to make it a bit more exciting and tasty.   i love cinnamon chips and i remembered that they were great in scones and brownies so why not put them in waffles.  and you know what?  they were amazing in waffles.  yay, go me!  the bursts of cinnamon flavor was absolutely delicious.  i also added some cinnamon to bump up the cinnamon flavor and upped the sugar just a smidgen since we wouldn’t be eating these waffles with syrup.

this time i wrapped up the waffles individually thinking that it would make it easier on busy mornings to pull out 1 serving.  i wrapped 2 waffles at a time in plastic wrap.

ta da!  a big old stack of waffles ready for the freezer.

but i will say that i’ve made and froze more waffles since making these and i decided not to wrap them.  it just seemed like a waste of plastic wrap since it was easy enough to take out 2 at a time when storing the waffles in a large ziplock.  so i guess just figure out what works best for you and your family – either way you can’t go wrong because these waffles are the bombdigity.

the first step is to combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl – flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

then add the buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla.  whisk to combine making sure not to over mix.

time for the cinnamon chips!

chop them up just a little bit so they can be evenly disbursed through the waffles.

fold the cinnamon chip bits into the waffle batter and allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.

bake the waffles according to your waffle maker’s instructions.  for mine, i need to pour 1 cup of batter on to the waffle iron,

and bake for 5 minutes.

then allow the waffles to cool on a wire rack.  do not cool your waffles on a plate or straight on the baking sheet or else they will get soggy and yucky.

i like to use kitchen shears to cut the waffles up.  it makes the process super quick and easy.

yay!  waffles galore!

oh i’ve also made chocolate chip waffles using this recipe.  just switch out the cinnamon chips for mini chocolate chips (no need to chop them up since they’re already small)  and omit the cinnamon.  delish!  i think they may be chris’ favorite.

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