It’s no wonder my dear mom always complained about my messes. “But I just cleaned that!” she’d say with a long sigh. I was a hands-on kid, always coming up with grand schemes for new projects and taking over the kitchen table just before dinner. I was a little tornado who paid no heed to the clean-up required in my aftermath.
These days, I am just a grown-up version of that little tornado, stretched to 5 feet and 7 inches tall but no less destructive. Just yesterday, in the process of making this granola, I managed to absent-mindedly spill half a bottle of vanilla extract in the kitchen, and thirty minutes later, a half cup of coconut flakes all over the sunroom. At least my assistant helped clean up the latter. I then piled up granola bowl dishes in my sink and promptly sprayed fresh pomegranate juice all over my just-cleaned countertops.
I now understand why my mother always complained that cleaning up after myself could be a full-time job. It’s the truth. Speaking of which, I’m now accepting applications for interns.
I promised you this granola three whole weeks ago and thought I just might manage to get it to you in time for the weekend. It would be a great way to spend a few minutes of down time on a leisurely Sunday afternoon, and the resulting batch will make plenty for hurried breakfasts during the work week. It’s full of my favorite winter-time ingredients—warming spices, candied ginger, pecans and maple syrup—and irresistibly crisp-ity crunch-ity.
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups raw pecans and/or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
- 1/3 cup real maple syrup
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup chopped candied ginger
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Stir in the oil, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla. Turn the granola out onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and top with coconut flakes. Mix in the coconut and stir up the mixture to make sure the granola cooks evenly. Return the pan to the oven for 10 more minutes.
- In the meantime, roughly chop the dried cranberries and candied ginger. After 10 minutes is up, remove the pan from the oven and add the chopped cranberries and ginger. Stir to combine.
- Let the granola cool before enjoying. The granola will continue cooking just a bit in the cooling process, so if it seems a little wet at first, don’t worry.
- Store the granola in an airtight container. It should stay fresh for 1 to 2 weeks. Store in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.
- Recipe roughly based on master granola maker Megan Gordan (of Marge Bakery)’s base granola recipe, via The Kitchn.
- Yields 5 to 6 cups of granola.
- I like to serve this granola with yogurt or milk and sweet winter fruit, such as broiled grapefruit, orange slices or pomegranate arils.
- Look for candied ginger at the bulk section at health food stores.
- Raw nuts are preferable, but if you want to use pre-roasted nuts in this granola, mix them in after baking the granola. (They are liable to burn if you bake them along with the other ingredients.)
56 Comments
I’m a sucker for anything with gingerbread in the name. And all of my favorite flavors in a granola, now that sounds perfect. Oh and I too am a mess in the kitchen! In my opinion, all good cooks are ;)
I just can’t get enough of those wintery warming spices! Sounds like we could’ve made quite a mess together in Heidi’s kitchen.
I make gingerbread granola during the holiday months for gifts…and to much on! Love it!
Oh I love all the flavors in this!
This looks so yummy. I love making granola with all different types of flavorings! This one seems really great for winter time! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, Maria! Please do let me know how it turns out.
This looks wonderful! I’ve been searching for a good granola recipe – something different and more unique than a lot of the traditional recipes out there. I like the looks of this one!!
I’ll eat gingerbread anything, so I know I’ll be trying this soon. Where there’s ground ginger, there’s always candied ginger close behind for me, so I love that about this recipe, too. Gingerbread is not just for Christmas!
Agreed, gingerbread is definitely not just for Christmas! I’ve been on a serious ginger kick lately.
Can’t wait for my house to fill with this delicious smell! yum!
I’m so glad you posted this! I am not ready to give up gingerbread flavor for the season. This granola sounds amazing!
Ohhh yesss! You know I’ve been waiting for this one! :) I’ve been making my own little batches of granola lately but there’s just something so addictive about gingerbread! This one has been pinned! :)
Thanks, Angela! Hope the granola is worth the wait. :)
I love making my own granola and I love gingerbread, this looks like a fantastic recipe. I bet it makes the house smell awesome too.
You’re right, the smell of this granola baking is better than any candle out there. I can’t believe I forgot to mention that!
I decided tonight was a good time to try this granola. I have a question tho. In the instructions under step #1, it says to add the oats, nuts, cinnamon, ginger & salt. Then in Step #3, it says to chop the dried fruit and roasted nuts and add them after everything else is cooked.
Do you add the nuts in step 1 or step 3 ??
Looks so tempting! Amazing!
Wow – these look incredible. Not the biggest fan of grapefruit but maybe a blood orange could take its place?
Definitely! Blood orange is actually the fruit shown in these photos.
LOVE marge granola. Meghan knows her stuff. This looks so tasty, and while I’ve been on the fence with candied ginger, I think I’d like it here. Lovely.
Homemade granola has been on my mind lately – your version looks so tasty!
I’m thinking about a little extra ginger (ground) in place of the candied. It’s the only ingredient I don’t have on hand…I think I will try it come back later with my inexpert verdict…
I think it will be great without the candied ginger, Kay. I might add some extra cranberries to make up for it. Have you tried it yet?
I did tried it without the candied ginger and added extra cranberries and pumpkin seeds. It is soo good! I like how it isn’t too sweet.
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the granola, Taylor. I bet pumpkin seeds are great with these flavors!
Story of my life, right there. I leave all of the cupboards open and make a real good mess of everything!
All of my favorite flavors in this granola!
Yuuuuummm. Nothing like warm-spice laden granola in these cool months. Definitely worth the spilled vanilla and coconut sprinklins on the floor.
Also, before I worked in professional kitchens I used to be the messiest cook ever too. I always clean as I go and keep everything lined up now, but my mother has NOT let it go. When we cook together, she always jokes about starting her own blog called “I Clean Up The First Mess.”
I Clean Up The First Mess, haha! At least your mom has a sense of humor about your messes. Do you think I’ll ever learn to clean as I go? Probably not.
I love homemade granola! This batch looks so flavorful and beautiful! Nice photos.
I am so glad to see someone else that’s GOOD at cooking making a disaster in the kitchen! My mom HATED my messes…at least I made it up with good food.
I definitely want to try this granola!
I love the idea of crystalized ginger and molasses in granola — I’ve never tried either in my renditions to date! And if you ask me: nothing so wrong with a mess, especially when something delicious results from it. (:
I love granola and I love gingerbread. This recipe sounds very nice, I’ve never seen a granola recipe using molasses before. It sounds very intriguing.
Oh how I smiled when I read your post. I’m not the only tornado in the kitchen!!!! Just stumbled on your blog and am so enjoying going through it with my earl grey tea and quiet time home alone this afternoon.
Thank you, Janet, it’s nice to hear from fellow kitchen tornados. ;) It’s also ice to hear that you enjoyed reading my blog today. Thank you for visiting!
I just popped over here from Foodgawker where your picture was a standout! This looks like a delicious way to enjoy granola. I’ve always loved molasses…it’s so underused! :)
This looks like a wonderful breakfast treat!
Oh my goodness, YUM.
Gorgeous! I am a bit of a tornado in the kitchen too! Any recipe involving sugar, flour, vanilla, or salt requires lots of clean up. Those are the culprit ingredients that end up all over me and my kitchen floor. I don’t have a dishwasher so I usually procrastinate cleaning up until the pile of stuff in the sink is gigantic.
Lovely! I’m totally craving gingerbread flavours at the moment so the idea of a bowl of this sounds perfect!
I make epic messes like that at times and then try to get the boyfriend to clean them up (i.e. I bribe him)…sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. I could probably get him to if I bartered with this granola! Yum!
Bribery! That’s the ticket. I sure wouldn’t mind an assistant who helped clean up in exchange for free food.
Oh gawrsh. My mom hates it when I step foot into her kitchen because I’m such a hazard myself–I’m tempted to buy her this sign to mollify her (hopefully into content acceptance of my habits!): http://www.larkgifts.com/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/2/0/20025.jpg.
Anyway, cheers to this recipe! Absolutely nom-scious.
That sign is so true! Thanks for sharing, Ala. :)
Love granola! We always have it on hand here. Never tried the molasses in it!
As a kid I was like you, clumsy all the time. But these days with age or whatever, I became just the opposite. Absolute control freak :) Love crunchy homemade granola!
I just ate the last of my first batch of homemade granola this morning, and might have to make this one to replace it! Though I may substitute pomegranate molasses for the normal, because I have an unholy love of pomegranate.
I have been looking for a good granola recipe and this looks like it! Thanks.
I could use a good pair of hands to help clean up in the kitchen afterwards too, it’s like a tornado hit!
Granola is one of my all-time favorite foods- I can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Made this this weekend and it is delicious! Can’t believe I had never made granola before. And I love that this recipe has no sugar!
Glad to hear it, Jenna!
I just made my first batch of homemade granola last weekend and I will never buy commercial made granola again! It’s so easy and delicious! This is definitely the next recipe I’m trying!!! Yum!!!
Thanks, Kendra. Hope you enjoy this granola recipe, too. It’s irresistible, if you ask me!
I just made this granola and my kitchen smells heavenly! It’s candle-worthy, for sure!
Thanks, Rachel! Glad you enjoyed the granola!
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