Welcome in the holiday season with this Gingerbread Granola!
Happy December 1st! The holidays are finally among us, and it's time to blast Christmas carols, bake until our heart's content, decorate your house, and spend quality time with your friends and family. Preferably over a big bowl of this killer gingerbread granola!
This gingerbread granola has all the warming flavors that you love from gingerbread cookies, but with protein and fiber from the nuts and oats! It really does not get better than this! Eat it in a bowl with yogurt topped with your favorite fruit, or plain with you favorite milk or milk alternative, or just dump and handful in your hand every time you pass the kitchen and eat it like that! No judgement! I mean, how could I judge when I've been doing that since I first tested this recipe weeks ago!!
Gingerbread Granola might be the easiest holiday breakfast you make all season!
The beauty of granola, you know besides its outstanding taste, is that it is so easy to put together and so easy double the recipe to make a big batch! Just throw everything in a bowl together, mix it all around, then place in a thin layer on a baking tray and bake for 18-22 minutes!
What's in granola?
That's actually completely up to you! Below, you can see all the nuts and the ratios I've added them in, and while I fully recommend you make the recipe as is because it was delicious, granola does give you a lot of room to play around. Maybe you're not a pecan person. Feel free to substitute that for equal parts walnuts, or double up on the pepitas or almonds. There's no right or wrong way to make granola! I do however, recommend you follow my directions for what spices and how much of them to put in. It is also important that you use the right amount of coconut oil to ensure that the oats and nuts get nicely toasted and golden brown. Alright, enough about the requirements! This really is a recipe you can be creative and have fun with, so see below for some of my favorite additional mix ins.
Granola Inspiration:
- Dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, goji berries, etc. (don't add them until the end or they will become rock hard in the oven!)
- chocolate chips, carob chips, etc. (of course, add this at the end so it doesn't melt all over the granola)
- walnuts, whole or slivered almonds, pepitas, cashews, chopped macadamia nuts
- Coconut
- maple syrup or honey
Gingerbread Granola
Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy10
servings10
minutes18
minutesIngredients
3 Cups Steel Cut Rolled Oats
½ Cup Pecans, roughly chopped
½ Cup Almonds, roughly chopped
½ Cup Pepitas
1 Tbs + 1 Tsp Ground Ginger
3 Tsp Cinnamon
½ Cup Coconut Oil
2 Tbs Molasses
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
½ Tsp Salt
2 Tbs Brown Sugar (optional, it is already sweetened by the molasses)
Directions
- Give the nuts a rough chop then add them into a large bowl along with the rolled oats, spices, sugar if using, and salt.
- Melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan or microwave. Once melted, stir in the molasses and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined and evenly coated.
- Spread granola our on a greased, parchment lined baking tray and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 18 to 22 minutes. At the halfway point, take the granola out and mix it around to make sure it cooks evenly. Add it back to the oven for the remainder of the time.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
- For maximum freshness, eat within 1 month and store in an airtight container.
Absolutely LOVED this granola recipe!! Goes perfectly with my morning parfaits