Here’s a thought.  How about an EASY holiday baking project? How about granola? Don’t get me wrong. I love to create festive holiday cookies and build gingerbread houses (structurally sound mind you— I’m married to an engineer), but every now and then I just want to throw everything in a pan, bake it at 350, and call it a show. Granola is easy peasy and this recipe has one of my all-time favorite ingredients, candied ginger! It’s medicinal, flavorful, and spicy. What more could you ask for in one ingredient. Plus, granola is a great holiday giveaway for friends and family.

I got this recipe from Cookie and Kate. Kate is a vegetarian food blogger extraordinaire, and Cookie is her cute little dog. You should check out her site. The photography is beautiful and she has a ton of great recipes. 

Have fun making batches of granola. And if you want to stick to the basics, you can also make my traditional Simply Sue’s granola.  Give it away, but make sure to save a generous bagful for yourself or you’ll have to make more.

Oh, and one more thing before we get started with the granola recipe….. when you are at the store, pick up some pomegranates because Edie has some quick and easy pomegranate intel coming at you this weekend.

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raw pecans, walnuts, or both
1 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped candied ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Stir to thoroughly combine.  In a separate bowl, stir together oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Turn granola out into baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove granola from the oven and add coconut flakes. Mix in the coconut and return the pan to the oven for 10 more minutes. In the meantime, roughly chop the candied ginger.

When granola is done cooking, let it cool completely. Then add the cranberries and candied ginger.

Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Bring It!

There are a hundred ways to package granola to bring it as gifts to friends and family.  You can use mason jars, cellophane or paper bags, Chinese take out boxes, and much more.  For tips and tricks on wrapping, go to our Boot Camp Bonnie wrapping expert and you are sure to find something fun and festive.

Bonnie and Sue with just a smattering of supplies.