Gingerbread Granola

Happy Thanksgiving to all! This weekend has been really nice, and I have managed to stop and appreciate all of the beauty that fall brings. This afternoon I will be going for a hike in Hamilton with my parents and I can't wait to get an amazing view of the changing colours of fall. Before you know it, it will be over! If you make this granola, you can transport yourself back into fall whenever you want. It is the perfect combination of sweet and spice. I am going away for a few days this week and wanted to make a granola to have for breakfasts at the hotel. I was looking through my bookmarked recipes and there were just too many granola recipes to choose from! Granola is a pretty easy thing to throw together, so after getting some ideas I decided to just wing it and make my own. The addition of molasses was inspired by A Full Measure of Happiness and the addition of the millet was inspired by Oh She Glows. When I first pulled it out of the oven, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but after it cooled down and turned crunchy, I was in love. This recipe is a winner in my books.

Gingerbread Granola

2 cups oats
1 cup almonds, chopped
1 cup walnut halves, chopped
1/4 cup millet
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 tso vanilla
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp molasses

1/4 raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine oats, almonds, walnuts, millet and spices in a large bowl.
3. Melt together coconut oil, honey, molasses, and vanilla. Add to the dry mix and stir to coat everything well.
4. Spread out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and make for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
5. After removing from the oven, mix in raisins and allow to cool.
6. Once completely cooled, break into pieces and store in an air tight container.

Like I said, this recipe is a winner. It is a perfect granola to make for a friend or to enjoy on the holidays. It can be easily customized with your own preference for nuts or dried fruit, but make sure you keep the volumes the same because there was the perfect amount of flavouring here. It may be hard to try new granola recipes for quite some time...