Addictive granola loaded with pumpkin seeds, flax meal, and dried fruit.
I have struggled for years to find a nut-free granola that I like. Both my husband and I suffer nut allergies, and as a friend once volunteered: it kind of takes the fun out of it if you need to have an epi pen nearby.
Aaah… yeah.
But oddly, I hadn’t really thought to make my own. And God alone knows why, when I make my own ketchup, brown sugar, farmer’s cheese, preserves, and mayonnaise! Go figure.
So, about a year ago, I started to experiment with granola recipes and came up with some versions I really liked. A lot. Maybe too much. Over the space of a few days, I graduated from stirring my newest, favorite version into my virtuous yogurt, and having it as a small, mid-afternoon I-need-a-healthy-munchie-with-some-sugar-in-it snack, to trying it on acorn squash and mixing it into cookie dough. Before I was done, I mixed it into apple turnovers, put a little into my pancake batter, added it to the crumbled topping for a pear fruit crisp, and sprinkled a little over ice cream. Some experiments had a better outcome than others. (Note: unless you want pancakes that stick to your teeth, don’t try this one.) Clearly I was teetering on the edge of needing an intervention, but I thankfully pulled back from the edge when I started sprinkling it on my kale salad.
It keeps changing a little from the first one I settled on, but the great thing about granola is that it’s a bit like a blank canvas that allows for a variety of preferences.
The healthy part of my mixture is rolled oats, sunflower kernels, roasted pumpkin seeds, ground up flax seed, and ½ cup dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, cherries and currants in my case). I’ve also used wheat germ in place of flax seed. Oh, and I’m going to include cacao nibs in this category too, which is a fabulous idea from Jennifer on Food52 that I’ve added to my current favorite version.
A few spices are thrown in to amp up the party: cinnamon, cardamom and a little salt.
And the not-so-healthy part is a combination of brown sugar, maple syrup, pomegranate molasses, honey and canola oil. All I can say here is to use as little of this mixture as you think you can get away with.
Granola is so easy to make, great for hostess / holiday gifts, and you get the side benefit of your kitchen smelling like Christmas.
So NOW I’m thinking of turning it into Holiday Potpourri…
Crack Granola with Dried Fruit
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cup ground flax seed
- 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- 1 cup dried fruit minced (I used a combo of dried apricots, currants and tart cherries)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250° F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, spices, dried fruit, and cacao nibs. Mix well with your hands or a large spoon.
- Warm up the coconut oil to convert it to a liquid - I do this with a 20 second zap in the microwave. In a small bowl, mix the honey, molasses, and coconut oil together until well combined. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cardamom and warm up in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir again until the brown sugar is completely absorbed by the liquid.
- Add to the dry mixture and mix well with a large spoon, spatula, or your hands until everything is well coated.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. It's important to stir the mixture every 8-10 minutes pulling all the mixture from the edges and corners into the middle of the baking sheet and re-spreading the mixture. You might also want to rotate the cookie sheet after each stirring.
- The granola is done when the mixture starts to darken a shade or two and you can smell the spices in the mixture.
- Remove from the oven and allow to dry until crispy (about 10-15 minutes).
- If you’re keeping a stash for yourself, store in sealed baggies or jars. I’ve kept mine stored like this up to a month. It might keep fresh longer; it just doesn’t last that long in my house….
lizthechef says
No allergies, but I have never been a huge fan of nuts. This looks great! Where to find cacao nibs?
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks Liz! I got mine at Whole Foods and I’ve seen them at Sur La Table in their food section too.
Rita says
Great granola recipe, Susan! I’ve been making my own muesli for years (an uncooked granola of sorts), and really like the flexibility to do my own thing. I even compiled a “cheat sheet” of all the possible muesli ingredients on earth. I refer to the same list when coming up with new ideas for quick breads and muffins.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks Rita! I love your idea of having a cheat sheet of possible ingredients for quick breads and muffins. That’s a terrific way to organize your thoughts. Have a great weekend!
Sunchowder - Wendy Read says
I love the title to begin with! I really adore nuts, but this granola looks really good to me. I always keep pomagranate molasses in the house along with fresh cardamon..hummm, I really want to try this!!! Thanks for posting Suszanne.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much Wendy!! I’d love to hear what you think if you make it! And there’s no reason you couldn’t throw some nuts in there if you want. Have a great weekend!
Hannah says
LOVE this…you’ve had quite a journey with granola. I use maple syrup in the granola I make but haven’t thought to add pomegranate molasses, which is a big favorite of mine (as are cocoa nibs). I’m making it this weekend! Thanks for the inspiration.
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks Hannah! This was my first time to use maple syrup. I don’t know why it took me so long to think of it!! You were way ahead of me.
Sophia says
This look great. It reminds me of a gluten-free granola I found recently at my local grocery store. It’s nut free as well and is full of the same seeds as yours. I love the addition of pom molasses and cardamom: two ingredients I don’t use enough but love!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks Sophia! Two of my favorite ingredients, especially this time of year, are pom molasses and cardamom, so they had to be invited to the party!
TasteFood says
This sounds yummy. Who needs nuts?
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks Lynda!! That was the goal – to make it special enough without the nuts. But if anyone wants to add them, have at it.
gluttonforlife says
Look wonderful! I’ll have to pass this along to my nut-allergic sister. Thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much gluttonforlife!! I really appreciate it. This will be perfect for your sister. I hope she likes it!
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much!! I really hope you like it. I’m making more tomorrow too!
Reem | Simply Reem says
This sounds delicious!!!!
Who need nuts when these are around…
Beautiful
The Wimpy Vegetarian says
Thanks so much, Reem! It’s my favorite snack right now.
Freeze Dried Pineapples says
My family will surely love this. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ll inform you of the outcome of what I’ll bake. I hope I can done it right.