Okay, I have to confess that I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin. Every fall when people start gushing about all things pumpkin, I don't get it. I do, however, know that it's good for you, nutritionally speaking. That's why I decided to try it again in this granola. Much to my surprise, I really like it this way. It gives this granola an extra punch of flavor that is perfect with the maple syrup and cranberries. It turned out so tasty, in fact, that I served it with some maple pumpkin yogurt at a brunch I hosted. It was a huge hit. Recipe requested kind of hit. After my mom had some at Thanksgiving, she called to tell me that if i wanted to make her something for Christmas, she would really like some more pumpkin granola. That's why you should try some. It's really good. Here's what you'll need:
- 6 C oats
- 2 C raw pecans
- 1 C pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 C raw almonds
- 1/2 C coconut oil, melted
- 1 C pumpkin puree
- 1/2 C maple syrup
- 1/4 C light brown sugar
- 1/4 C honey
- 1 TBL vanilla
- 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 C water
- 2 C dried cranberries
Start by chopping the almonds and pecans. I like to know what kind of nut I'm eating, so I do a very rough chop, even leaving some of them whole.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, chopped pecans, chopped almonds, and pepitas.
In a microwavable measuring cup, melt the coconut oil. Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and stir until combined. Add the water and mix well.
Pour the liquid over the oats and stir until all the oats are covered with some of the liquid. I start using a spoon, then I finish mixing with my hands to make sure everything is coated.
Pour the mixture evenly into 2 cookie sheets, spreading into an even layer.
Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. After 1 hour, raise the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 more minutes or until the granola starts to become dry and crunchy. It doesn't get truly crunchy until it cools, though, so don't let it burn.
Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in the dried cranberries.
Store in an air tight container. I served it with Maple Pumpkin Yogurt, but it's just as good all by itself.
Enjoy!
Lynn
Pumpkin Spiced Granola
- 6 C oats
- 2 C raw pecans
- 1 C pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 C raw almonds
- 1/2 C coconut oil, melted
- 1 C pumpkin puree
- 1/2 C maple syrup
- 1/4 C light brown sugar
- 1/4 C honey
- 1 TBL vanilla
- 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 C water
- 2 C dried cranberries
Start by very coarsely chopping the pecans and almonds. I like to be able to identify the nuts in my granola, so I really just cut them in half or not at all.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, chopped pecans, chopped almonds, and pepitas.
In a microwavable measuring cup, melt the coconut oil. Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and stir until combined. Add the water and mix well.
Pour the liquid over the oats and stir until all the oats are covered with some of the liquid. I start using a spoon, then I finish mixing with my hands to make sure everything is coated.
Pour the mixture evenly into 2 cookie sheets, spreading into an even layer.
Bake in a 250 degree oven for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.
After 40 minutes, raise the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in the dried cranberries.
Store in an airtight container.
