Winter Spice Granola

This granola makes a great edible gift and was a hit amongst some of my coworkers several years ago. Feel free to customize with your favourite nuts, seeds, spices and dried fruit. Pack it up in a decorative mason jar and don't forget to attach the recipe!

Author: Vincci Tsui, RD

Recipe type: Breakfast/Brunch, Snack, Vegetarian, Vegan

Makes: 12 cups

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

• 5 cups (1.25 L) rolled oats

• 1 cup (250 mL) raw almonds

• 1 cup (250 mL) pecan halves

• 1 cup (250 mL) hulled raw pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup (250 mL) hulled raw sunflower seeds

• ¾ cup (185 mL) sesame seeds or hemp hearts

• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon

• 1½ tsp (7 mL) ground ginger

• ½ tsp (2 mL) nutmeg

• ½ tsp (2 mL) cloves

Wet Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (185 mL) unsweetened applesauce

• ½ cup (125 mL) maple syrup

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil

Dried Fruit:

• 1 bag (70 g) apple chips, crushed

• 1 cup (250 mL) dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

2. In a large bowl, use your hands to toss together dry ingredients (I find that they mix more thoroughly this way than just stirring.) In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto two baking sheets.

3. Bake, rotating the pans once halfway and stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a golden brown, about 30 minutes.

4. Remove the granola from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. Continue to stir occasionally as it cools so that the granola doesn’t harden into a solid mass. Once it is cooled completely, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.