amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola cereal

Amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola cereal.

When I say amazingly crunchy, that is exactly what I mean.

These baked maple carob quinoa clusters were this crunchy: even after casting them into a bowl of milk, and spending a few too many minutes angling for the right pictures, they didn't turn soggy. There was simply no quiet way in which I could enjoy them, and my sister commented on the shattering sounds as I chomped on them merrily - it was like a scene out of a breakfast cereal commercial.

Oh, and this happens to be another one of my eczema-friendly recipe creations based on The Eczema Diet that my sister has been using as a guidance. But don't let that put you off if you're not into special diets - this maple carob quinoa granola cereal is awesome for anyone who likes a sweet, malty, crunchy snack.

The amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa cereal retains its crunch, even in milk!

This is kind of like a clustered, gluten-free, allergy-friendly version of cocoa breakfast cereal. Sweet enough to be like dessert (can also add to ice cream, yoghurt, fruit etc) or have with milk (non-dairy if required) for breakfast or brunch, or by itself as a snack. I made it nut-free for my sister, in accordance to the eczema diet - however, you can add more ingredients to it if you like, nuts or dried fruits could be nice additions.

amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola cereal
(makes a small portion, enough for 2 - 3 breakfasts with milk, feel free to multiply the recipe)

1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/8 cup roasted carob powder
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon rice bran oil
1 pinch of salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 140ºC (285ºF) fan-forced or 160ºC (320ºF) conventional.
Mix quinoa flakes and roasted carob powder together.
Mix maple syrup and rice bran oil together (with salt as well, if using), then add it to the quinoa flakes. Stir around until the mixture clumps into clusters.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread the maple carob quinoa clusters onto the tray in one layer, so that they don't overlap each other.
Bake in the middle rack for 20 - 25 minutes, giving it a stir to turn them around at the halfway mark to help them bake evenly.
Allow your maple carob quinoa granola cereal to cool completely to achieve the amazing crunchiness.
Crunch away!

If you want to store this granola-cereal for later consumption, make sure they are completely dry and cool, and then they should keep in an airtight container for up to a few weeks.
Also, if you would like to reduce the sweetness in the recipe, instead of using all maple syrup, try substituting half of it with rice syrup. As rice syrup is quite thick, you may need to add a fraction more oil to thin out this syrup concoction a little for better mixing results.

Close-up shot of the amazingly crunchy maple carob quinoa granola.