Looking for a personal Christmas gift? What better gift than something homemade and smelling incredibly good? This Christmas granola is just the thing. Delicious and easy to make a big batch of.
My kids brought this to school to give to their teachers. They were so proud to give a self-made present for Christmas.
How to make Christmas granola?
It is nothing more than combine all ingredients and bake it in the oven. It is however baked twice to ensure extra crispy, chunky granola!
Mix all the ingredients
I always start with adding dry ingredients – oats, oat flour, pecans, pumpkin seeds, salt and gingerbread spice – to a large mixing bowl and stir until all is combined.
In another bowl I mix the wet ingredients; coconut oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. Here in our jungle the coconut oil is already liquid, if yours is not you can quickly heat it all up until melted.
I then add the wet ingredients, include the 1/8 cup of water, to the dry ingredient mixture and I mix it until everything is evenly coated.
The first bake:
Scoop the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of maple syrup (so now you have used 1/2 cup (and 1/4 remains)).
Bake until golden, about 20-25 minutes. Your Christmas granola will further crisp up as it cools.
The second bake:
Let the granola cool completely (for about 20 minutes). Now break it into large chunks and gently toss the chunks with a spatula so the sides that aren’t golden brown are now on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of maple syrup and add the cranberries and orange zest. Put the tray back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Let it cool off completely
Let the granola cool off again. Now you can store it in an airtight container. At room temperature it will keep for 1 to 2 weeks.
Some tips and tricks to the ultimate chunky Christmas granola:
pack oats in a sheet pan
Your oats need to be a little crowded in the pan so they can stick together, but not so crowded that they don’t toast evenly. I recommend using a basic half sheet pan. The rimmed edges make sure no granola falls overboard.
Be sure to line the pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat so the sweetener sticks to your oats rather than the pan.
press down on the granola
For maximum clumps, gently press down on the granola with the back of a spatula or wooden spoon. Drizzle with some more maple syrup before putting it in the oven.
don’t overbake the granola!
Don’t bake the granola too long (just until it’s lightly golden on top). It might not seem like it’s done yet, but it will continue to crisp up as it cools. Over-baking the granola seems to break the sugar bonds.
Cool completely before second bake!
Lastly, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up, tossing it, adding the remaining 1/4 of the maple syrup and putting it back into the oven for another 5-10 minutes. This ensures crispy chunky granola!
Once your granola is completely cooled off a second time, you can add chunks of dark chocolate to make it even more festive! Or leave it as it is and enjoy this healthy christmas granola every morning for breakfast during the holidays!
Making this Christmas granola will fill your house with an incredible aromatic scent. I love holiday spices and I love this granola made with it. And I am sure you will too! It is
subtly spiced – crunchy – chunky – wholesome – and just super delicious
This spiced granola hits the spot. I make a big batch and store it in an airtight container so every morning during the holidays we can have some in our yogurt or smoothie bowl for breakfast. Do you love everything holiday spiced as well? If so, check out my healthy pecan pie, pumpkin spiced smoothie bowl, speculaas ~ Dutch gingerbread cookies. Soon I will post my take on a gingerbread house here as well!
Christmas granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups quick cooking oats (store bought or pulse rolled oats in a blender until somewhere between whole oats and oat flour)
- ½ cup oat flour (store bought or grind rolled oats yourself into flour)
- 1¼ cups raw pecans
- ¾ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 2 tsp gingerbread spice*
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¾ cup maple syrup (or sub honey if not vegan)
- 2-3 tbsp coconut sugar (optional, to make the granola even crunchier)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ cup water
- ⅔ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tsp orange zest
- ⅓-½ cup dark chocolate (chopped) (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line a large, rimmed baking tray with parchment paper or a large baking mat.
- Add oats, oat flour, pecans and pumpkin seeds, salt and gingerbread spice to a large mixing bowl, and stir until all is combined. In another bowl mix coconut oil, 1/4 cup maple syrup, coconut sugar and vanilla. If your coconut oil is still solid, you can quickly heat it up until melted.Then add the wet ingredients, include the 1/8 cup of water, to the dry ingredient mixture. Mix until everything is evenly coated.
- Scoop the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon or spatula to spread it in an even layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
- Bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes. The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
- Let the granola cool completely (for about 20 minutes). Now break it into large chunks and gently toss the chunks with a spatula so the sides that aren't golden brown are now on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup of maple syrup and add the cranberries and orange zest. Put the tray back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Let the granola cool off again. Now you can add chocolate chunks (optional).Store in an airtight container. At room temperature it will keep for 1 to 2 weeks.
Notes
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