This sweet, spicy gingerbread granola is an easy way to bring a touch of holiday cheer to the table. Pecans, cashews, and pepitas come together to form perfectly crisp, satisfying granola clusters.
Do you have that one thing, that when you go clothes shopping, no matter how many you already have, you always gravitate towards more? For me it was always hoodies and now it’s basically any kind of work out clothes #RealClothesAreForSquares.
I’m that way in my kitchen too. Whether I’m buying it or making it, I just can’t seem to have enough granola. You’d think we were living in the great granola shortage of ’15 and I was some crazed woman trying to stash away my ‘nola. But no. No shortage. The crazed woman part might be true though.
At any given moment I have at least 2 or 3 different types of granolas a-flowin. A few of my go-to brands are Purely Elizabeth, Oat My Goodness, My Favorite Indulgence, and Nature’s Path. My nonnegotiable with granola is the clusters—they need to be substantial and crunchy. A bag that’s mostly crushed granola is the ultimate disappointment.
Not to toot my own, but I think I make the best damn granola on the block. This gingerbread variation is a twist on a recipe I’ve been perfecting over the years. In my experience of striving for the perfect clusters, your dry ingredients should always include some chunky nuts, like pecans, cashews, walnuts and some tasty seeds like pepitas, and sunflower seeds. To create that sweet crunchy awesomeness I like to use coconut oil, honey (or maple syrup) and a little bit of nut butter.
I might just be making this holiday version all year-round. The sweet mellow molasses paired with spicy ginger and the pumpkin pie spices just cannot be beat. In fact I’m considering making big ‘ol batches for holiday gifts for friends and family because the world needs this granola in their life. Look under your tree…. YOU GET GRANOLA AND YOU GET GRANOLA. Sorry to ruin the surprise if any of my family are reading this…
I will warn you though, If you don’t want your house to smell like a magical gingerbread wonderland, I would caution against making this scrumptious granola. If that does sound like your jam, than whip out your mixing bowls and get you some oats and nuts…. ‘cuz it’s granola time.
PrintGingerbread Granola
This sweet, spicy gingerbread granola is an easy way to bring a touch of holiday cheer to the table. Pecans, cashews, and pepitas come together to form perfectly crisp, satisfying granola clusters.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Holiday
Ingredients
- 2½ cups of old fashion oats
- ¾ cups of pecan halves
- ¾ cups of shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup of sunflower seeds
- ½ cup of raw unsalted cashews
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp of ground ginger
- ¼ cup of honey (sub agave if vegan)
- ⅓ cup of creamy almond butter
- ¼ cup of coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp of molasses
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- In a large bowl combine dry ingredients (oats, pecans, coconut, sunflower seeds, cashews, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice & ginger)
- Mix together until well combined
- In a small bowl heat coconut oil so it is liquid (about 30 seconds)
- In a medium size bowl combine melted coconut oil with honey, almond butter, molasses and vanilla extract – whisk or mix with fork until liquid mixture is well combined
- Pour wet mixture over dry mixture, mixing slowly until all dry ingredients are evenly coated
- Pour granola onto large (greased) baking tray and spread out evenly
- Bake for 15 minutes, take out of the oven, stir granola, put back in the oven
- Check every 10 minutes until lightly brown (35-40 mins total)