Ever thought about making granola with mushrooms?

It’s not as wacky as it sounds.

Because when it comes to dried candy cap mushrooms, their beguiling maple syrup-curry flavor is a natural for your favorite mix of oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

So, when I spotted a recipe for “Candy Cap Granola,” I was all over it.

This fun recipe is from “The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen” (The Experiment, 2025).

It was written by the Bay Area’s Chad Hyatt, a chef and expert forager. It is filled with information on varieties of both cultivated and wild mushrooms, with tips on best ways to cook and preserve each one.

You need not be a forager to enjoy this cookbook, as there are plenty of recipes for both common mushrooms widely available at supermarkets, as well as more esoteric ones that may be difficult to source but will surely widen your amazement of the fungi world.

Among the creative recipes are “Chanterelle-Meyer Lemon Marmalade,” “Sweet Corn Soup with Huitlacoche,” “Cavatelli with Bellybutton Hedgehogs and Pine Nuts,” and “Black Trumpet Brownies.”

For the granola recipe, I sourced my dried candy cap mushrooms from Moss Landing’s Far West Funghi. A 0.5-ounce bag is $10, and a little goes a long way with these highly aromatic mushrooms. In fact, when you bake a batch of this granola, don’t be surprised if your kitchen — even your entire house — smells of maple syrup that day, and even a few days beyond.

Simmer the candy caps with brown sugar in water to create a syrup. Let steep, then puree everything in a blender until smooth.

Mix the syrup and some oil with a heap of oats, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Because granola is so adaptable, I also threw in a big handful of pistachios that I had on hand. So, feel free to add your own personal favorites.

Spread it all out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring every so often until everything is lightly browned and crisp. Once cooled, stir in dried cranberries — or whatever dried fruit you prefer.

It makes for a crunchy, hearty granola that’s surprisingly not super sweet even with 1 cup of brown sugar in it. The candy cap mushroom flavor melds well with the toffee-like taste of the brown sugar. It does taste as if you added a little maple syrup, even if you didn’t. In fact, next time, I might even add more candy caps to the syrup because that’s just how much I love the taste of them.

If you’ve had a stash of candy caps in the pantry for a while that may have lost some of their pungency, Hyatt offers a great tip: Leave them open to the air for a day before using, as they’ll start to absorb some of the ambient moisture, which will bring out more of their maple deliciousness.

Candy caps are a source of iron and Vitamin A, and rich in antioxidants.

So, maybe, just maybe, we ought to be adding more mushrooms to our granola after all.

Candy Cap Granola

(Makes about 6 cups)

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

0.25 ounce dried candy caps

3 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup walnut pieces

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup neutral oil

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine 1 cup water with the brown sugar and dried candy caps in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer gently while covered to help avoid over-reducing the syrup, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, still covered, 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly, then blend until smooth using a blender or immersion blender.

Combine the oats, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the candy cap syrup and the oil and stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a layer about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to the oven and bake for 60 to 90 minutes, until evenly and lightly browned, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes to ensure even baking.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then mix in the dried fruit.

The granola keeps well for several weeks stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

From “The Mushroom Hunter’s Kitchen” by Chad Hyatt

More Recipes with Candy Caps to Enjoy: Candy Cap Mushroom Shortbread Cookies

And: Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies with Candy Cap Mushrooms