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How do you get into the holiday spirit? Bake holiday cookies of course...if you want to be basic. But you’re not basic, right? No, you’re better than cookies. You’re glorious! Just like this vegan, refined oil free Gingerbread Granola.
This healthy granola is basically the holidays in snack form. Filling oats, nuts and seeds are coated in warming spices and blackstrap molasses. It’s packed with healthy fats, fiber, and is even a good source of fiber, but this granola is so delicious, you’d never know it! Snacking on this granola is like taking a bite out of a gingerbread house.
If that’s not enough to make you want to immediately throw on jingle bells and bake this granola, this granola is also as clustery and crunchy as can be. Thanks to a few tricks that you can read more in depth about here, you’ll be enjoying giant granola chunks in no time. If you’re not a chunky granola fan then you can always break it into smaller pieces…Scrooge.
It’s also a great meal prep option for a breakfast, snack, or dessert! It lasts on the counter for weeks and even longer in the freezer. With just a few minutes of hands on time, your oven does nearly all of the work. You’ll be able to use that baking time to get into the holiday spirit like drinking hot chocolate, cutting snowflakes, or picking up pine needles off the floor from your already dying Christmas tree.
Enjoy this granola with milk, over yogurt, or by the handful on the go. It also makes a great homemade gift (if you don’t mind sharing, that is). However you eat it, with this granola around, you’ll always be in the holiday spirit.
If you make this recipe or any others on my blog, tag me in a photo on Instagram @figisisters . I would love to see your recreation!
Recipe:
Makes about 10 snack size servings
Ingredients:
100 g - Rolled Oats - Use gluten free if needed
30 g - Puffed Kamut Cereal - Sub puffed rice cereal or rolled oats for gluten free
20 g - Chia Seeds
28 g - Pecans - roughly chopped
30 g - Dried Cranberries - Optional
70 ml - Coconut Butter - Sub coconut oil or runny nut butter of choice
40 g - Blackstrap Molasses*
20 g - Agave
¼ tsp - Kosher Salt
1 tsp - Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp - Ground Ginger
½ tsp - Allspice
¼ tsp - Cloves
¼ tsp - Nutmeg
Pinch - Black Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix together oats, kamut, chia seeds, pecans, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg.
In a microwave safe bowl, add coconut butter, molasses, and agave. Microwave for 10-15 seconds or until coconut butter is melted. Stir and pour over the oat mixture.
Mix wet with dry until oats are evenly coated. Spread oats evenly onto the baking sheet with a silicone spatula. Create small holes throughout the oats to allow air to escape*.
Bake for 30-33 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. If you want large clusters do not stir during baking.
Wedge a wooden spoon in the oven door to allow air to escape. Allow granola to cool in the oven for another 20-25 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with dried cranberries, and allow to cool completely.
When cool, break granola into clusters and store in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 weeks. Or, freeze for up to 3 months.
*Notes:
Blackstrap molasses is more bitter than true molasses. If you want your molasses sweeter use true or unsulphured molasses, it will not have as many health benefits though.
Creating holes keeps the mixture from steaming and yields a cripsier granola.