Remember the last time I made granola? Probably not. It was the second recipe I ever posted and I called it the ‘famous’ One Ingredient granola. I’m not sure why I called it famous. I mean, there were about 17 people reading my blog back then and it seems like quite an audacious title in retrospect.

While that granola was tasty, it wasn’t exactly perfect. Making homemade granola is easy, but making it crunchy and cluster-y is a bit more difficult — take a wrong turn and you’ll just end up with chewy individual oats. I’ve since refined my granola-making techniques for this one, which results in beautiful, crunchy clusters of the quintessential hippie food.

But what about these bizarre flavors? Well, I woke up yesterday and it just hit me – CHOCOLATE AND PUMPKIN! Never had I tried these ingredients together, but I was obsessed with finding a way to put these very different flavors into one dish. I had a feeling they would play nicely, and it turned out even better than expected. Chocolate and pumpkin. It’s the new thing.

This one might just become more famous than the famous granola…

Pumpkin_Granola_Jar

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup ground flax
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Pumpkin_Granola_Pan

Preheat the oven to 300º F

Step One

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups rolled oats, 1 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup ground flax and a pinch of salt and toss together. [The flax is really great here. In addition to adding tons of nutrition, it also encourages the granola to clump together when cooked.]

Step Two

In a saucepan, gently warm the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla just until everything is melted and combined – we’re not trying to cook this, just melt it.

Step Three

Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and quickly stir until the oats are evenly coated. Then, transfer to a baking tray and spread into a thin layer. Bake at a very low temperature of 300º F for 30 minutes, then use a spatula to gently toss and bake for about 10 more minutes (approximately 40 minutes total) until the oat clusters are crispy.

Step Four

Sprinkle a little more pumpkin pie spice over top for good measure, toss in the raisins, and allow to cool before storing in an airtight mason jar for up to a week. Serve with your favorite non-dairy milk (almond or cashew, perhaps?) 🙂

Pumpkin_Granola_Bowl

Pumpkin_Granola_Top