pumpkin granola

one of my favorite things about baking is how it fills my entire apartment with sweet, delicious smells, and this pumpkin granola did not disappoint. the smell of all the spices baking with the nuts and oats was pure fall.

i've been eating this for breakfast plain or sprinkled on yogurt. SO good! it has just the right amount of sweetness from the maple syrup and dried fruit, and i like that there are no oils or butters. i made a couple substitutions: cardamom in place of allspice and dried apricots in place of apples--which i only did because of what i had on hand. (and, i have to admit, i have a weird obsession trying to use my green cardamom pods whenever i can...)


:: pumpkin granola ::
(recipe from seriouseats)

3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice*
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped dried apples*
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1. preheat oven to 325F. line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. in a large bowl, mix together oats, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. add cranberries, raisins, dried apples, pumpkin seeds, and almonds to bowl. stir to combine.
3. in a medium bowl, whisk together maple syrup, vanilla, pumpkin, and applesauce until well combined.
4. add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until even coated. spread granola in a thin layer over baking sheet.
5. bake granola until golden, stirring halfway through baking, about 40 minutes.