Snacks Archives · Page 2 of 2 · Jess in the Kitchen

If you haven’t learned it yet, I am a sourdough baker. You can read my story here! Now, I wouldn’t call myself a fancy sourdough baker by any imagination of the word. I stick with the recipe I have memorized for a basic milk and honey loaf and bake it week in and week out. Our family generally goes through two loaves a week, and it works out perfect when I bake every weekend. But sometimes we get to the end of the week and we still have a loaf (or part) sitting around. Goodness knows, once a fresh loaf is baked, that old loaf won’t get eaten. The solution? These homemade sourdough croutons!

But Jess, I don’t bake sourdough! I hear you, and first off, why don’t you? *Smiles* It’s easier than you think. Check out King Arthur Flour recipe for creating your own starter and getting started! Maybe you still aren’t convinced. That’s okay. You can do this recipe with ANY stale bread, but I would recommend something that has some density to it. (Think: day old artisan bread from the bakery or grocery store)

These homemade sourdough croutons are simple (the name of my game) and delicious. You’ll feel better about what you’re eating on your salad or French onion soup because you know the ingredients that are in them.

Ready to get baking? Let’s go!

Your Ingredients

3 ½ – 4 cups cubed stale bread
2 tablespoons olive oil (flavored or plain)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional, but adds a delightful cheese flavor!)

Your Steps to Homemade Sourdough Croutons

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place cubed bread in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and toss.

In a small, separate bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. Sprinkle the seasoning on the cubed bread, tossing again to get evenly coated.

Bake for 18-25 minutes, checking after 15 minutes. 25 minutes was perfectly crunchy, but if you like softer croutons, go with 20 minutes.

Homemade Sourdough Croutons

Stale bread? Don't throw it away! Create these delicious homemade croutons.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings cups

Ingredients

3 ½ – 4 cups cubed stale bread
2 tablespoons olive oil flavored or plain
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon nutritional yeast optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place cubed bread in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and toss.
In a small, separate bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast. Sprinkle on cubed bread, tossing again to get evenly coated.
Bake for 18-25 minutes, checking after 15 minutes. 25 minutes was perfectly crunchy, but if you like softer croutons, go with 20 minutes.

Keyword croutons, Salad, sourdough, sourdough baking

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

What can you pair with these croutons?

Well, I don’t know about you but a classic salad paired with ANY soup or Italian inspired dish is my jam. I will eat soup and salad any day of the week! Check out some inspiration below!

My family is a family that consumes granola bars. (Correction: My mini-me is sitting with me and said I should write, “My family is a family that LOVES granola bars!”) I like them for a quick snack before a run or to hold me over between breakfast and lunch. My kids love them…all the time. But what I don’t love is the added sugar and extra ingredients. This leads to me working to create my own, cleaner version that I can feel good about snacking on. Recently, I looked around my cupboard and found the ingredients for Almond Joy Inspired Granola Bars and was on a mission. These are simple to make, they only dirty up about four dishes, and keep well without needing refrigeration. Yay!

And the approval rating? Well, my mom came to visit, gave them a try, and said, “I think you need to bake these for our family vacation.” Double yay! I think they make a great snack that is the perfect amount of sweet without overdoing it. AND the crumbles that may form at the end of the batch would be great as a topping on any yogurt. I can’t wait for you to give them a try!

Your Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
¾ cup lightly salted almonds
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup dates
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½-¾ cup mini chocolate chips, divided
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Your Steps to Almond Joy Inspired Granola Bars

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining it first with foil and then spraying it with cooking spray.

Place the old-fashioned oats in a food processor (I love my Kitchen Aid 7 cup food processor) Grind until a rough flour is formed. Add almonds and unsweetened coconut. Grind for additional 20-30 seconds. Add dates and grind once more, until the dates are broken down. Remove from the food processor and place in a medium-sized bowl.

Combine almond butter and ¼ cup of honey. Microwave for 30 seconds, just to soften it. Mix well and stir into the oats mixture. Add remaining honey, salt, chia seeds, and ¼ cup (or more if you want a little more chocolate) mini chocolate chips. Add additional honey if needed, by the tablespoon. Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, cutting into bars halfway through (A steel scraper/chopper like this guy works great!).

Once cooled, feel free to add a drizzle of chocolate by combining remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe container and microwaving for 30-second increments, until smooth. Spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the corner, and drizzle onto the completed bars. Be mindful not to snip the corner too large.

Looking for some other sweet treats for your family? Check out the recipe inspiration below or head over to my baking page!

Almond Joy Granola Bars

A food processor and some simple, good for you ingredients combine to create these delicious almond joy inspired granola bars!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
¾ cup unsweetened coconut
¾ cup lightly salted almonds
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup dates
½ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½-¾ cup mini chocolate chips divided
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining it first with foil and then spraying it with cooking spray.
Place the old-fashioned oats in a food processor. Grind until a rough flour is formed. Add almonds and unsweetened coconut. Grind for additional 20-30 seconds.
Add dates and grind once more, until the dates are broken down. Remove from the food processor and place in a medium-sized bowl.
Combine almond butter and ¼ cup of honey. Microwave for 30 seconds, just to soften it. Mix well and stir into the oats mixture.
Add remaining honey, salt, chia seeds, and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips. Add additional honey if needed, by the tablespoon.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, cutting into bars halfway through (A steel scraper/chopper like this guy works great!).
Once cooled, feel free to add a drizzle of chocolate by combining remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe container and microwaving for 30-second increments, until smooth.
Spoon into a plastic baggie, snip the corner, and drizzle onto the completed bars. Be mindful not to snip the corner too large.