It was time for me to make granola again and I love trying out different flavors! So this time it’s Gingerbread Granola. I thought adding some dried cranberries into the mix, a little touch of red, would make it a wonderful granola for the holidays. Have it for breakfast, brunch, or a healthy sweet snack. It also makes a great homemade food gift—people love receiving treat bags filled with granola!

As you might be able to tell from my photo, I mixed in both dried cranberries and golden raisins into my granola.  I really like the sweetness and color they add. I also like the rich molasses flavor blended with the other spices in this recipe!

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GINGERBREAD GRANOLA by NancyC

Makes about 6 cups

• 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 2/3 cup raw shelled sunflower kernels (if using roasted and salted kernels, add them to the mixture after baking)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup light olive oil or non-GMO canola oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries or golden raisins (or 3/4 cup of each)

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 10 x 15″ or 13 x 15″ baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the oats, flaxseed or wheat germ, sunflower kernels, chopped pecans, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. In small microwaveable bowl, heat molasses for about 15 to 20 seconds to make consistency thinner and easier to stir. Then in a medium size bowl, blend molasses, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, stirring everything well (the oil may separate from the other ingredients, but blend it as well as you can). Add this syrup mixture to the dry oat mixture, mixing until everything is thoroughly coated.

Spread granola mixture onto prepared baking sheet and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes, until mixture is golden, stirring every 15 minutes so granola bakes evenly. Remove from oven; stir in dried cranberries and/or raisins, if using, and then let the granola cool completely (the mixture will get crunchier as it cools). Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks (or you can store a little longer in the refrigerator).

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I have a good-sized jar of organic ground ginger, and I used some of that for this. I still have quite a bit of ground ginger, so I may be making more gingery recipes! Are you a fan of gingerbread-flavored treats?

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