I’ve got another pumpkin recipe today, but please don’t be annoyed. I promise that I’m about to lay off the orange stuff for a while to ensure my hands stay on the paler side of normal this season.
I’ve had a hankering for granola, but every time I look at the ingredient list on the packages in the store and then look at the price, I sigh dramatically, throw my head back with my forearm over my brow and cry “Why, Granola? WHY?” (and then I look around the granola aisle and say “who said that? people in this store are crazy!”)
Dramatics aside, grocery store granola has too many ingredients and costs too much much money. We can make it cheaper and better at home, so let’s do that.
I’ve never made granola with squash, but I figured such a thing probably existed and I wasn’t nuts thinking that it could work. With some extra pumpkin in my fridge after another (half) batch of Pumpkin Muffins, I decided to throw pumpkin seeds to the wind and give it a whirl. I was really happy with the way this turned out and ate pumpkin granola for breakfast all week without any sighing, head throwing or talking to myself.
Chewy Pumpkin Granola
2 Tbsp butter or coconut oil, melted
1/2 c canned pumpkin
1/4 c maple syrup (more or less to taste)
3 c rolled oats
1/2 c pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
dash of cinnamon, ginger, cloves*, nutmeg, salt
Combine butter, pumpkin, maple syrup and spices. Stir in oats and pepitas until well coated in the pumpkin mixture.
You can replace the pepitas with sliced almonds, walnuts or pecans, but the pepitas were a nice addition and something I’ve never used in granola before. Plus, pumpkin seeds in pumpkin granola? I mean COME ON!
*take it easy on the cloves or leave this spice out all together – Zak said this tasted too much like licorice for his liking. (Actually I believe his exact words were: “what is wrong with this?” and then my exact words were: “ahahahahahaha more for me!”) I don’t mind the taste of cloves, but you might!
Pre-heat oven to 300. Spread granola mixture out on in a baking pan or on a cookie sheet, bake for 30 – 35 minutes, stirring once at the half way mark.
This is soft and chewy, as opposed to Maple Pecan Granola that is more crunchy. I liked the texture (but I also like clove spice, so take that for what it’s worth) and the chewiness of the pepitas matched the chewiness of the granola, which is another reason to go with pumpkin seeds for this recipe.
If you’ve still got extra pumpkin laying around after making granola, you can stir a little into your plain or vanilla yogurt to further assist in giving your hands a healthy orange glow.
(Pumpkin in yogurt is good! Try it!)
Eat this for breakfast. Eat this for a snack, like trail mix. Eat this while looking at the palms of your hands and tell people that you’re watching the orange spread from your wrist to your finger tips before your very eyes. If you like it when people think you’re crazy, this last option is especially helpful at keeping up appearances.
