Once you make this Holiday Spiced Crunchy Granola, you will NEVER want store-bought again!
I am a granola girl for sure. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves combine to create that wonderful gingerbread granola taste. The perfect addition to my pumpkin yogurt.
This Christmas granola in a jar makes the perfect food gift for the holidays. All the wonderful spices of the season. I think you need to give my pumpkin latte a try too.
NOW that I have experienced the awesomeness of this over-the-top delicious goodness, bought granola will NEVER make an appearance again. This is the BEST granola ever.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this easy homemade granola are at the bottom of this post.
Don’t ask me what took so long, but hey better late than never. I made this about 2 days ago, and I can still smell the wonderful aroma when I go into the kitchen. Want to make your house smell wonderful? Make some of this granola, works like a charm. You will instantly be in the Christmas spirit!
I still love my versions of Healthy Granola, Soft Chewy Granola Bars, and No-bake Granola Bars but this crunchy granola is my favourite so far. I cannot believe it took me so long to get on the bandwagon. One batch and I am totally addicted.
So many flavour combinations are rolling around in my head right now. HOW did I NOT try this sooner? The same thing happened with I made homemade cranberry sauce for the first time. I have never bought canned cranberries again.
What Is In Holiday Granola?
This homemade gourmet granola combines all the flavours of the season. You will need:
- old fashioned oats
- raw whole almonds
- hemp hearts
- raw pumpkin seeds
- raw pistachios
- dried cranberries
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- molasses
- cinnamon
- ginger
- cloves
Super simple ingredients. In fact, if you don’t like something on this list, substitute what you do like. There is NO wrong way to make this spicy granola recipe trust me.
Just reading this list of ingredients gets me super excited. I love the aroma as this bakes. It smells like gingerbread granola. I am all about the holiday spices.
Since my mom is no longer with us, I try to make some of her recipes during the holidays to keep her spirit alive. She did love making lots of wonderful holiday cookies, and for this granola recipe, I used the flavours from her Crispy Molasses Cookies.
Speaking of molasses, did you know there are many different kinds of molasses? I was blown away to find out that so many kinds existed. From dark to light, blackstrap, and pomegranate too. There is even a difference between sulfured vs unsulfured molasses.
Ok, so it is now November! OMG, don’t even get me started on how many shopping days are left till Christmas. I know my USA blogger friends are getting geared up for Thanksgiving (and your awesome Black Friday deals). I can feel my stress level starting to rise just thinking about the next couple of months.
I know I have got to start my holiday baking very soon.
How To Make Homemade Holiday Granola
This granola recipe is so incredibly easy to make. It only takes about 30 minutes. Customize the ingredients to suit your palette. Simple ingredients, no artificial flavours or preservatives. You can never go wrong with easy, healthy and delicious.
- Mix up some oats and whatever nuts and seeds you like.
- Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, and spices.
- Bake.
- Let cool (it will turn nice and crunchy).
- Add some cranberries (or other dried fruits) and even chocolate chips too.
- Pour into a bowl and let everyone serve themselves. Perfect on its own, or as a topping on yogurt.
- Place in a sealed container, and it will keep for several weeks.
I love using these *(affiliate) silicone mats on my *(affiliate)baking sheets. It keeps the granola from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
People Ask
Keep it in an airtight container or sealed ziplock bag. It will stay crunchy for weeks.
The directions on the recipe card are pretty accurate, but everyone’s oven tends to vary in temperature. When you kitchen smells like the holidays and the granola is a light golden brown it is ready.
Since they are much thinner, you can use them they will cook much faster. You will have to adjust your cooking time to avoid burning. Steel cut oats WILL NOT work in this recipe.
Keep an eye on it during baking. Be sure to mix it to allow for even browning. If your oven runs high, turn the temperature down.
This granola recipe will get you dreaming of sugar plums and Cookies for Santa. Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves combined with maple syrup and molasses.
Not only is this delicious to eat, what a great “food gift” to take to all the hosts/hostesses of the Christmas parties this season.
Talking about homemade holiday food gift ideas, have you tried my Homemade Bourbon Fudge? OMG, this is a huge hit every year. A must for the holiday treat tray.
White Chocolate Popcorn Balls are super festive. Just like mini snowballs covered in holiday sprinkles.
Do you love making and receiving food gifts for Christmas? Well, you REALLY need to check out this post 28 Unique Edible Gifts for Christmas! Great for stocking stuffers, teacher’s gifts and to take to holiday parties too. You just might even want to make a few of these all for yourself.
This Homemade Holiday Spiced Festive Crunchy Granola would make a great stocking stuffer too. Perfect for the gluten-free and vegans on your list.
Have I got you dreaming of Christmas spices yet? It is NOT too early to start enjoying the foods of the holiday season.
What is YOUR favourite kind of homemade granola?
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Holiday Spiced Granola (Food Gift Idea)
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw whole almonds (or your choice of nuts)
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup raw pistachios
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoons ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F, and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, and seeds. (I broke my almonds up slightly in the blender, but feel free to leave them whole)
- In a small microwavable bowl combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses and spices.
- Microwave for about 30 seconds until the oil melts. (You can also do this on the stove as well). Mix well.
- Pour over oatmeal mixture, and mix to coat well.
- Spread mixture onto prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes (or so), mixing half way through.
- I like my granola really crunchy, so I baked it a few minutes longer. Just be careful as the granola can burn easily near the end of the baking time.
- Remove from oven.
- Let cool slightly, and add in the cranberries.
- Place in a bowl (or container).
- ENJOY!!
Sheeba
Love this granola! The spices make it delicious and festive. Perfect as a holiday gift idea!!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I have been enjoying this in my eggnog yogurt.
Farrukh Aziz
I love granola any given time and so I tried this, it turned out fantastic, loved the addition of molasses here. I love to eat it with yogurt topped with lots of fruits especially berries. Thanks for sharing this great recipe! 🙂
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I know, there is really nothing not to love about this great granola for the holidays.
Sam
Yum, this granola looks amazing. I love the festive flavours you have put together in there, such a perfect pairing of ingredients. You are so right about homemade being way better than storebought. It just doesn’t compare.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
I agree, there is NO comparison. I need to make more of this….I already ate a batch.