Okay, there are two reasons you need to make this granola: (1) it’s delicious, and (2) it makes your house smell incredible. If you’re not in the holiday spirit yet, you will be when you make this.
A few notes…
Add more sugar if you like extra sweet granola.
The recipe as-is has a lower amount of sugar. I did this because a lot of people (including me) make homemade granola to avoid the high-sugar store brands of granola. It still has some sweetness to it, and it’s delicious with almond milk, on top of yogurt, etc. If you want something a little sweeter though, I recommend adding more coconut sugar. Maybe start with two extra tablespoons of coconut sugar and see how it goes.
Follow the directions for chunky granola.
There are two crucial steps that make for a chunky granola. (1) Make sure all of the dry ingredients all get coated by the wet mixture. (2) Don’t break the granola into chunks until it has fully cooled.
If enjoying with milk, let it sit to make chocolate milk.
I love eating this with almond milk because if you let it sit for a minute or two, you get yummy chocolate milk! I’m not usually one to drink the milk at the end of a bowl of cereal (hence why I use barely any milk), but in this situation I am.
The recipe makes as much granola as you see in the jar there — about nine cups when I measured (though it’s hard to measure chunky granola precisely.) Happy baking 🙂
Chocolate Cranberry Pumpkin Seed Granola
Nutrition per portion
Ingredients
- 3 c (300 g) old fashioned oats
- 1 c (135 g) raw pumpkin seeds
- ½ c (30 g) cocoa powder
- ¼ c (40 g) flaxseed
- ¼ c (40 g) chia seeds
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅓ c (79 mL) coconut oil
- ¼ c (59 mL) maple syrup
- ¼ c (59 mL) honey
- 2 TB coconut sugar, or more to taste
- ¾ c (90 g) dried cranberries
Method
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, cocoa powder, flaxseed, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, and sea salt. Stir well.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, and coconut sugar. Whisk frequently for 3 minutes to combine.
- Pour the hot mixture over the dry ingredients and stir well. Make sure the dry ingredients all get thoroughly coated. Arrange your mixture on a baking sheet, spreading the mixture out into an even layer.
- Bake for 17 to 22 minutes until fragrant, turning the pan around halfway through to ensure even baking.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Sprinkle the dried cranberries over the granola and press, without mixing. (This is key if you want chunks!)
- Let the granola cool completely before you break it into chunks.
- Store in a sealed container for up to a few weeks.
