Every 2 weeks, my 1 ½ year old Beany and I make granola. This week we are loving the healthy cinnamon, pumpkin and crunchy clusters of Pumpkin Granola!
[Post Updated 4/13/19] – Now that I have a pouring/mixing partner to help me with my granola making, we are making homemade granola way more often! This Pumpkin Granola is Beany’s (1 ½ yrs old) favorite. I like it for her because there are no large nuts as a choking hazard. Instead I break up the granola clusters and she munches on them. Although a messy snack, it’s definitely a good one!
Cinnamon. Pumpkin. Both have been consuming my thoughts late. I want them in the morning, for dessert and as a snack. It’s like my body knows that fall is here, and I must consume these 2 ingredients all the time. So basically my body is telling me it is time to make a huge batch of my Pumpkin Granola.
There are 2 things about my relationship with granola that you must know:
- I’m obsessed with it
- I always always always make it myself and have it in my pantry
I don’t really know where my love of granola came from. I believe it’s just a love of the crunchy texture and sweet flavor that granola adds to anything. On plain yogurt, sprinkled on thick smoothies or simply dry, eaten by hand.
Back in college I would eat store-bought granola by the boatloads. I could polish a box off in 3 days! But as I became more conscious about processed foods and the amount of unnecessary sugars in them, the boxed stuff didn’t seem as great. Plus I was lucky enough to try different homemade granola at little artisan coffee shops and breakfast places in quaint New England towns… and that totally ruined me!
You can’t have fresh homemade granola in a cafe in Cape Cod without falling in love forever and renouncing any association to the boxed stuff you once called granola.
But let’s be realistic here. Buying bakery granola all the time is pricey and not necessary.That is why this is one of my absolutely favorite foods to make myself and never buy.
Good news. All the ingredients are basic, affordable and easy to find. Mix it all up in a large bowl. Pop in the oven. Enjoy the lovely pumpkin aroma while you wait. It’s so easy to make, my 19 month old helps me make it!
Ding. Done.
Perfect crunchy pumpkin spiced granola.
Serves about 5 cups.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (optional)
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 cup natural unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil)
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large bowl, toss the oats, pumpkin seeds, quinoa, ground flax seed, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is well combined.
- Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes. Stir granola every 15 minutes. Let granola cool for on the baking sheet before storing.
- Store in an airtight container and enjoy with yogurt, milk or just straight in your hand.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.
Recipe adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction
Originally posted 2019-04-14 01:36:00.
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