Spiced Winter Granola

It is about this time of year when the sun is slowly creeping back into the sky for a little longer each day, but that winter sunshine is frigidly cold, that my tastes are attempting to figure out if they are yearning for the fresh flavors of spring or wanting to stay in the comfort of winter’s flavors of depth and spice. Obviously, the latter won out here- spiced winter granola is perfect for a breakfast had in front of a fireplace!

However, while you can absolutely sprinkle this granola on top of something warm and hearty like a porridge for a bit of crunch, I’ve been sprinkling mine on yogurt to bring a bit of lightness to my mornings! There’s nothing better than a bit of sweetness on top of tart yogurt to start a chilly morning!

Spiced Winter Granola Ingredients

Spiced Winter Granola Method

If you are dehydrating your own cranberries, wash and slice (or puncture) the cranberries and dehydrate them at 120ºF for 10-14 hours or until the cranberries are dried to your liking. I like the snap of fully dehydrated berries, so I dehydrate on the higher end of the spectrum. These can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 12 months if dried completely. I use an Excalibur Dehydrator.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl combine rolled oats, chopped pecans, cranberries, chopped ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.

Melt the two tablespoons of coconut oil and drizzle over your mixture, then add the maple syrup. Once again, mix well to combine. Both the oil and the syrup are necessary here to form beautiful granola clumps. While toasted oats are lovely on their own, I think what makes granola *granola* are the little clumps that give a good crunch.

Pour the mixture out onto a lined baking sheet. Again, focusing on the clumps here, use a spatula to spread and pat the mixture into a uniform thickness. Normally when I am baking I want to spread everything out as much as possible, but keeping the granola in a cohesive unit creates better clumps!

Bake until the oats are golden, about 20 minutes. Then let cool, completely undisturbed to keep the clumps intact. When the granola is completely cool, gently break apart any large pieces and give it a good mix to make sure the nuts and clumps are evenly spaced among the oats.

Store the spiced winter granola in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to four weeks. Or freeze for up to three months. Just as a side note: while freezing is an *option* I tend to like the texture of fresh granola much better than frozen and thawed granola. You lose a bit of the ‘crispness’ of the bake when defrosted.

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