Pumpkin Crunch Granola

The other day I was really craving granola…so I made some!

I love homemade granola because it’s so easy to make, lasts forever when stashed in the fridge, and tastes wonderful on thick Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey. Greek yogurt, granola and honey has been my staple breakfast for awhile now — I seem to go in breakfast stages where I’ll eat a certain food every day for a few months then suddenly switch. I’ve been on smoothie kick, a cinnamon raisin kick and now homemade granola and Greek yogurt kick! It tastes great and keeps me full all morning long.

I have a few different types of granola I like to make (chocolate peanut butter being an old favorite!), but this time I wanted to take a seasonal approach. So what did I do? I candied some pumpkin seeds and then stuck them in a pumpkin bread-flavored toasty oat blend…hence the “pumpkin crunch”. I think it might be a new favorite!

Candied pumpkin seeds {pepitas} sound more difficult than they actually are to make! All you do is toss the seeds in a blend of brown sugar, honey, butter and spices in a hot skillet on the stove for a few minutes. The seeds get a beautiful spiced candied shell around them! I could eat these guys all.day.long. They are SO addicting!

But you know what’s even more addicting? The final product! If you’ve never made homemade granola before, you’re in for a real treat!! And bonus! This stuff makes for great gifts. Just fill up clean, dry mason jars {I get mine for cheap at our local hardware store!} with homemade pumpkin crunch granola, screw the top on and then tie a festive orange ribbon around them. It’s the perfect fall-themed hostess gift, if I do say so myself.

I hope you guys love this homemade granola as much as I do! It’ll last for about a month in the fridge {in sealed tupperware containers}, so you have quick and easy breakfasts during the week. Next, I’d like to try making this granola into a bar for snacks on-the-go!

Pumpkin Crunch Granola

yields about 6 cups granola

Print this Recipe!

Ingredients:

for spice mix—

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

for candied pepitas—

2 cups pepitas (pumpkin seeds, raw)

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup honey

1 tsbp brown sugar

1 tsp spice mix

sprinkle of salt

for granola assembly—

4 cups old fashioned oats

remaining spice mix

1 cup maple syrup

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp salt

Directions:

Mix together all spice mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt the butter in a skillet set over medium high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and 1 tsp of the spice mix. Toast seeds, stirring constantly, until golden brown. And honey and brown sugar and continue to cook while stirring for another two minutes. Carefully transfer and spread out candied seeds on a large sheet tray. Let cool for about 12 minutes, until no longer sticky. Break seeds up with a spatula to avoid sticking and set aside.

Place the oats, along with the remaining spice mix and salt, in a large bowl. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the maple syrup and the coconut oil in a large skillet or small saucepot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for two minutes. Very carefully, pour the hot syrup over the oats. Toss well.

Spread out granola on two large sheet pans. Bake for about 25 minutes, tossing every five minutes. When done, remove granola from the oven and let cool. Place cooled granola in a large bowl with the candied pumpkin seeds and toss well so everything is incorporated.

 Time:

1 hour

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Tagged as: food as a gift, kid-friendly