Candy Cap Granola Bars

Recipe from The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen: A Culinary Homage to Wild and Cultivated Mushrooms—with 120 Recipes by Chad Hyatt, © 2018, 2025. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com   

Makes 16 to 20 bars

Turning the Candy Cap Granola into more portable granola bars is simple, and the bars are every bit as irresistible as the regular granola. If making the granola specifically to turn into bars, chop the nuts into smaller pieces before making the granola. The smaller pieces more easily bind together as bars.

Ingredients

¾ cup (135 g) quinoa, uncooked

1 teaspoon candy cap powder

Pinch of salt

14 ounces (400 g) pitted dates (about 28 dates), chopped

1 recipe Candy Cap Granola (below)

Instructions

1. Bring 2 cups (480 ml) of water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa, candy cap powder, and salt, cover, and reduce the heat to low to simmer gently until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (The quinoa should look mushy and overcooked; this will help bind the granola bars.) Remove from the heat and let cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
2. Pulse the dates in a food processor until they become almost paste-like. Set aside, then pulse the cooled quinoa mixture in the empty food processor until smooth, sticky, and paste-like.
3. Combine the processed quinoa and dates in a mixing bowl, then add the granola. Use your hands to incorporate the granola into the quinoa-date mixture, squeezing and kneading until it starts to come together (this will be a bit sticky and messy). Once thoroughly mixed, transfer the mixture to a cutting board and roll it into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Use a heavy, sharp knife to cut into 16 to 20 pieces. Any stray granola can be pressed back into the bars before dehydrating.
4. Arrange the granola bars on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours at 145°F (60 °C) or bake for 3 to 4 hours in a 200°F (93 °C) oven. Serve immediately, or store, covered or wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Candy Cap Granola Bars

Makes about 6 cups (720 g)

The maple essence of candy caps turns this standard granola into something magical. I like to eat it with yogurt for a light meal or use it as an easy snack on the run. You can adjust the proportions and types of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit to your taste. Shredded, unsweetened coconut also makes a great addition. The only real rules are that the oats should make up at least half of the total volume, and the dried fruit should be mixed in only after the rest of the ingredients have come out of the oven. The granola keeps well for several weeks stored at room temperature in an airtight container, but it never lasts that long in my house. This recipe scales well. I often make double or triple batches.

 Ingredients

 1 cup (220 g) brown sugar

0.25 ounce (7 g) of dried candy caps

3 cups (270 g) rolled oats (not instant oats)

½ cup (55 g) slivered almonds

½ cup (60 g) walnut pieces

½ cup (65 g) sunflower seeds

½ cup (60 g) pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil

½ cup (65 g) dried cranberries

 Instructions

1. Combine 1 cup (240 ml) water, brown sugar, and mushrooms in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, covered to help avoid overreducing the syrup, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly, then blend until smooth using a blender or immersion blender.
2. Combine the oats, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkinseeds in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the candy cap syrup and the oil and stir until all of the ingredients are evenly coated.
3.  Heat the oven to 300°F (150 °C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the mixture onto the prepared sheet and spread it into a layer about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 to 1½ hours, until evenly and lightly browned, stirring every 10 to 15minutes to ensure even browning.
4.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then mix in the dried fruit.

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