The last few months have whizzed by and in a blink our tiny (well he was nearly nine pounds at birth so never really tiny) newborn is now 7 months old and crawling into every nook and cranny of the house! With my new two and half foot tall boss giving orders to be fed, changed, and entertained, the long hours I had once spent experimenting in the kitchen seems lifetimes away. So for the next few post I'll be revisiting some in my vault of tried and true recipes. This granola has always been a huge hit - super tasty and lots of big granola clusters! I've tweaked it a bit for Thanksgiving by adding spices traditional to pumpkin pie. And some crisp apple chips for a bit more crunch and fall flavor. You must absolutely try this recipe - it's easy, quick, delicious. This sweet spiced granola is the perfect treat to take on a fall hike or to bring a little bit of pumpkin pie to your morning yogurt.
PUMPKIN PIE SPICE GRANOLA
- 1/2 c maple syrup
- 1/2 c brown sugar
- 1/2 c butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 c oats
- 1/2 c + 2Tbs all purpose flour (can use whole wheat)
- 1 c pecans, roughly chopped
- 2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (a combination of mostly cinnamon and a touch of ginger, allspice, nutmeg and clove)
- 3/4 c dried apple chips
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, salt and vanilla extract in a medium sauce pan and put on medium heat. Warm through till butter melts and brown sugar dissolves.
Meanwhile, in a glass bowl combine together oats, flour, chopped pecans and pumpkin pie spice. Toss together. Set aside.
Pour the warmed maple syrup mixture over the oat mixture and combine. Spread the mixture out onto a silpat lined baking sheet (can also use greased baking parchment). Put in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take out and use two spoons to break apart and move the mixture around. Place back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
Once the mixture has cooled enough to touch, but still warm, use your hands to break apart the mixture into desired sized granola clusters. Set aside to cool completely. Once cooled the granola clusters will have crisped up. Add broken up apple chip pieces. Store in airtight container for up to a week. Can eat plain or add some to strained (greek style) yogurt!
