Best Gingerbread Granola Recipe

What's not to love about granola? It's the cherry topping to your yogurt parfait or hearty bowl of oats, or it can be enjoyed just like cereal with your favorite milk. It can also be taken on-the-go as a healthy snack. The good news is that no matter how you eat this tasty stuff, you're going to enjoy it, according to chef and recipe developer Miriam Hahn of YouCare-SelfCare. "I like to serve it with oat milk and fruit. I also love it on coconut yogurt. My husband loves it just as-is. I usually have to double this recipe because he powers through it."

What is it about homemade granola that Hahn loves so much? "I like making my own granola so much more than buying it pre-made. That way, I can use organic oats. Oats that are not organic are typically sprayed with glyphosate to speed up the drying process. Also, this recipe doesn't have white sugar in it, just pure organic maple syrup for sweetness." And with that gingerbread flavoring, it's a perfect holiday treat — but quite frankly, you'll probably find yourself making this stuff well after the winter holidays have passed.

This recipe calls for a fair amount of ingredients, so let's get to it. For a six-cup batch (which is 12 servings of the granola), you'll need 4 cups of rolled oats, ½ cup each of chopped walnuts and pecans, 1 cup of slivered almonds, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves, ¼ cup of coconut oil, ½ cup of maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of molasses, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 1 cup of dried cranberries.

"If you want to make this granola without the gingerbread flavoring, you can leave out the ginger and the molasses," Hahn notes. She also says, "You can add chocolate chips or cacao nibs for extra sweetness, and you would add those at the end."

Start off by preheating the oven to 325 F. Then, chop the walnuts and pecans into chunks. "You don't want them too small, so I prefer to buy them whole and chop them myself versus buying pre-chopped," says Hahn. As for the almonds? Pre-cut slivers are fine.

Now, in a large bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, pecans, almonds, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Next, add the coconut oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla to a small pot, and heat on medium-low, stirring occasionally, for about three minutes just until well blended.

Pour the warm mixture over the dry ingredients in the bowl, and stir well to blend everything. Now, spread the mixture out onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the granola for 15 minutes. Then, stir the mixture, even it back out, and put the cookie sheet back into the oven for about five more minutes. (Be sure to check the granola isn't burning!)

Pull the pan from the oven, and then cool the granola on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes. Finally, add the dried cranberries (and nibs, if using), and stir to combine all of the ingredients. "The recipe is pretty easy," Hahn says, "but the main thing to remember is just to add the dried cranberries after the granola is cooked to avoid them getting hard. You can also swap those out for raisins."

It's now ready to serve or store, and you can keep this granola in an airtight container for up to a month. "[It's] best to store it in a sealed container, and it will stay fresh that way for several weeks," says Hanh, but FYI — it likely won't be around for that long!