While looking around for some nice holiday desserts, I came across this tasty pumpkin nut granola. It’s crunchy, sweet and even has some nutritional value!
This recipe is nice because you can substitute different nuts for the pecans and any nut for the sunflower seeds. In fact the original recipe on Jessica in the Kitchen calls for pumpkin seeds instead of the sunflower seeds I use here. This is also a very easy “just mix and bake” recipe. And, it is truly a good granola with great taste.
Pumpkin nut granola makes a great cereal, a snack or trail mix component, and a nice dessert topping to keep on hand. Just toss it over ice cream, or baked apples or other fruit, like Maple Cinnamon Baked Pears, for a quick last minute dessert. This would also make a healthier snack for the kiddos. Be careful, though – you can get addicted to it! I had to start slapping my own hand, because every time I walked past the jar of granola, I would pour out a handful and pop it into my mouth.
It will take two full baking sheets for this recipe to bake. But the good news is, you can bake one sheet at a time if you only have one cookie sheet. Or use several smaller pie plates or casserole dishes – anything that can be used in the oven.
I baked mine for a full 25 minutes, but start checking at 20 minutes to see if yours is done. Results will vary depending on your oven. The granola should feel crisp and not still moist when it’s done. The granola on the outer edges of the pan will crisp up first. So be sure to toss and rotate it during baking. Once the granola is cool, it will keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
I’ve had problems in some recipes with the clumping of coconut oil. There is nothing worse, in my book, than biting into an obvious clump of oil. *Shudder* To keep this from happening, I microwave the coconut oil for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between times, until all visible clumps of hardened oil are melted.
If you’d like to make a nice homemade pumpkin pie spice, try one of the three recipes I have here.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
cups
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- 3 cups oats
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds I used salted
- 1/4 cup quinoa uncooked
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice see link for homemade spice blends, above
- 1/4 cup coconut oil warmed to dissolve any oil clumps
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave syrup/nectar
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree make sure it isn't "pie filling" but "puree"
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
Wet ingredients:
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- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or line one pan if doing one at a time. If you don't have parchment paper, just oil the pans lightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir all of the dry ingredients together until evenly blended.
- In a medium mixing bowl, microwave the coconut oil 10 seconds at a time, stirring between times. Once all the oil clumps have melted, add the maple or agave to the bowl, along with the pumpkin puree. Stir until well blended.
- Add the wet ingredients to the large mixing bowl of dry ingredients. Blend well.
- Spread the granola onto the two baking sheets (or half the ganola onto one baking sheet) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss/stir the granola around for even baking. Return it to the oven and continue baking, removing to stir and toss every 5 minutes until crunchy, for a total of 20 to 25 minutes of baking.
- Let cool on the pans. The granola can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
- Other ingredients, such as chocolate chips, cranberries, raisins, or coconut, along with different nuts, can be added to this recipe. Experiment with new ingredients each time you make it!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Leave any feedback in comments below. Also, share your comments on Instagram: @key_lime_coconut or on Twitter: @keylime_coconut.
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