Pumpkin Spice Granola

Now that I've discovered there are multiple flavors of granola, I knew I had to make a pumpkin granola. 'Tis the pumpkin season, right?

This recipe is not as overwhelmingly flavorful as the Apple Spice Granola, but it does have a nice subtle pumpkin flavor to it. I prefer my granola crunchy and this recipe is very crunchy. If you ask my daughter however, she was not a fan of the crunch factor. I also enjoyed the walnuts and cranberries instead of almonds and raisins that I put in our regular granola. It was a nice change!

The original recipe was almost perfect, I just had to swap out the brown sugar for the honey/molasses mixture. 

It is made just like the other granola recipes: Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and whisk the wet ingredients in another bowl. 

Pour wet mixture over oat mixture and stir until everything is coated. 

Once all the ingredients are mixed, pour out on two parchment paper-lined cookie sheets and bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes. 

 Make sure to stir granola every 10 minutes or so, and I also switch the racks so they cook evenly.

Ahhhhh, can't you just smell the pumpkin-y deliciousness??

After granola cools, mix in the cranberries and nuts. The original recipe had pepitas in it because the creator has a nut allergy. Fortunately we do not have any food allergies, so I decided to nix the pepitas and throw in chopped walnuts. SO GOOD. You could really throw in any nut - pecans would be fantastic, too. 

Ok, confession time.

While I was making granola this morning, I was getting irritated because it is time consuming to make all of this clean food when I could easily go out and buy a box of granola. I had a lot of things to do today but if I didn't make granola or muffins, the kids would have to eat eggs for breakfast for the third day in a row. But I had to remind myself that I know exactly what is in this granola and exactly what is going into my family's bodies when they eat it. It honestly did make me feel better. And that can go for anything; eating, discipline, home schooling, etc. There is definitely a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you remember the root of why you are raising your family the way you are. 

This also brings me back to the verse I have posted on this blog -

 Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (NIV)

It made me feel better to think about the good I was doing my kids by making this food for them. But ultimately I need to remember to rejoice in Lord with the things I do and do them with an attitude of working for God; not myself, my husband, or even my kids.

So let me encourage you that when the day gets to be too much, remember why you are doing what you are doing, praise God for the ability to do it, and then ask God for a little help. 

He's listening.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Original Recipe by Two Peas and Their Pod 

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey w/ molasses
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk wet ingredients together in medium bowl.

Mix oats and other dry ingredients, minus the cranberries, in a large bowl.

Pour wet mixture over oat mixture and stir until all the oats are coated.

Spread oats over cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes - taking out and stirring every 10 minutes.

Let cool. Add cranberries and nuts. Store in air-tight container.