I may be posting a recipe for Granola-Crusted Pear and Almond Butter Panini but that doesn’t mean that I’m ready for it to be autumn yet. Because I’m not. And it’s not. Despite all of the “end of summer” Labor Day declarations I saw on Monday and the 6-foot light-up Christmas snowmen available for sale at Costco, the autumnal equinox – the official end of summer – doesn’t take place until Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 7:49 AM PDT. And since my two little preschooler alarm clocks typically sound off earlier than 7 o’clock, this means by the time I wake up three weekends from now it will still be summer. White shorts are on!
That said…
I can’t deny my anticipation for my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season at Starbucks. And it’s possible that I’ve already tentatively identified possible dates for apple-picking up in Julian later this month. Discussions have begun with my 4-1/2 year old about this year’s Halloween costume (she’s debating between Abby Cadabby and Ariel the mermaid at the moment).
And the pears. It’ll sure be nice to eat pears again.
Pears with some creamy almond butter and a drizzle of honey grilled on granola-crusted country levain? Yeah, that works. The perfect sweet and crunchy breakfast panini. Read on for the recipe.
All right, maybe I’m a little ready for autumn.
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Granola-Crusted Pear and Almond Butter Panini
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 8 minutes | Total time: 23 minutes
Yield: 4 panini
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup granola
- 4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 8 slices rustic white bread, sliced from a dense bakery loaf
- 1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter
- 1 ripe pear or apple, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 teaspoons honey
DIRECTIONS:
- Pulse the granola in a food processor until the oats have been cut down to about 1/8-inch in size, but not completely ground up. Mix the chopped granola in with the butter until itâ??s well combined.
- For each sandwich: Spread granola butter on two slices of bread to create the outer crust of the sandwich. Flip over both slices of bread and spread almond butter on each. Top one slice of bread with a layer of pear slices and a drizzle of honey. Close the sandwich with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.
- Grill the panini, two at a time, until the bread is toasted, 3 to 4 minutes.
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What a fun breakfast panini – love the crunchy coating on the outside the combination of fruit and nuts inside!
I swear… every time I come over here I leave wanting a panini press. Apple and almond butter??? Yes please!
You so should get one, Brian! I can only imagine the incredible treats you’d conjure up. 🙂
I’ve been looking for easy lunch ideas and this recipe is calling my name!
what a great idea to add granola, bet that makes a great crunch!
Oh yes. The perfect lunch…or snack…or breakfast 🙂
Granola butter — such a cool idea! Thanks for the inspiration. Trying soon.
Nice panini! I like the sound of the granola crust!
What a panini recipe! I love everything in this!
It blows me away how creative you are! You inspire me to get more creative with my sandwiches. My husband is probably sick of the same old kind all the time haha.
what could I serve as sides with the Granola crusted pear and almond butter Panini for ladies breakfast/brunch?
Thank you,
Maxine
Hi Maxine – I might go with fruit (maybe grapes?), a frittata, candied bacon?
Hi, I recently received your cookbook as a gift, and loved every recipe I’ve tried so far! Is there something I can use to (fully or partially) substitute the butter in this recipe, for fewer calories? I’m not sure what else would make the granola stick to the bread…
Hi Mayumi — I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book! I don’t really know of a good substitute for the butter — I’m not a big fan of butter substitutes due to the chemicals (also butter just tastes better). I’d say if you want to cut calories, maybe just eat only half a sandwich or try using a somewhat less butter. ~Kathy