Crush Up Ice Cream Cones For A New Twist To Your Basic Granola

Most at-home chefs have a signature recipe for homemade granola. Serving as both a customizable snack and meal that accommodates an array of your favorite pantry staples, granola is typically made with a base of oats, nuts, seeds, oil, and liquid sweetener. This convenient mix is typically made to fuel your body with nutritious ingredients, yet if you're looking for a fun way to serve up your day-to-day granola that surpasses the confines of tradition and practicality you may want to consider adding in some chopped ice cream cones. Even though you may have only paired them with creamy rich ice cream, these crunchy cones can serve as a bright and unexpected addition to your next tray of granola. 

Not only do ice cream cones provide a sweet element to contrast the salty components of granola, but they also add a crunchy, texturally complex element to your standard mix of dried oats and fruit. Of course, there's more than one type of ice cream cone to choose from at the supermarket. Before you begin to incorporate more unexpected ingredients to make your next batch of granola a real showstopper, which type of ice cream cones works best in this delightful breakfast slash snack mix?

Most of you are familiar with the standard assortment of ice cream cones available in the world. Cake cones are the most neutral variety and tend to have the least amount of pronounced flavor when consumed without ice cream. While both sugar and waffle cones are sweetened with brown sugar and/or molasses, sugar cones are typically less sweet and have a more robust structure. When deciding between these three options for your newest granola creation, waffle cones may be your best bet. Not only do waffle cones have a distinctive crunch that is easy to bite through but they also have a sweet, almost caramel-like flavor.

Now that you're ready to add a waffle cone crunch to your strawberry maple granola (or whatever flavor combo sounds good to you), you want to make sure your cone pieces have the right consistency. Either chop waffle cones with a knife and cutting board or break them apart evenly with your hands. Blenders and food processors should be avoided since these high-powered appliances will turn your cones into crumbs. Plus, since they're already fully cooked, baking these delightful additions with the rest of your granola ingredients is entirely optional.

Since waffle cones already tout a deliciously crispy exterior, you can choose whether or not to bake these already crunchy ingredients. If you like the flavor of your waffle cones as is, feel free to add them once your granola comes out of the oven. If you think they'll benefit from the additional layer of honey or maple syrup, mix them into your dried ingredients before baking. Just keep a close eye on the mixture to avoid over-browning.

While there may be several ways to make your ice cream cones even tastier, if you want these vessels to shine on their own accord, you also need to pair them with the right ingredients. Sure enough, incorporating waffle cones is a delicious way to make whimsical and creative dessert granolas. For a s'mores twist, add in chopped chocolate and mini marshmallows once the base of your granola has been baked and cooled. You can also maximize the use of ice cream cones and make a banana split flavor by including chocolate and a tasty mixture of dried pineapple, strawberries, and freeze-dried bananas. You may even want to consider serving these delightful mixes in whole waffle cones filled with yogurt. No matter your flavor preferences, crushed ice cream cones can be your jumping-off point to creating more fun and exciting granola combinations.