Pumpkin Spice Granola

Why buy expensive granola from the store, when you can make your own at home.  It makes your house smell fabulous while it is baking, you can add whatever nuts and fruit you prefer and it tastes delish!  I love granola on my yogurt, but sometimes I pour milk over it and eat it like cereal.  Most of the time I just eat it by the handful :)

I'm still in a pumpkin mood, so I decided to make Pumpkin Spice Granola.  It's like a crunchy version of a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, without the coffee.

Don't you just hate it when you are baking and you find that you don't have one of the spices needed for your recipe.  It seems to happen to me frequently, but tonight was just the opposite.

When I looked in my pantry for pumpkin pie spice, not only did I find what I needed, but I had 3 containers of the stuff.  It's not like I'm baking pumpkin pies every week, so I have no idea why I had that many, but now I know I 'm prepared for more pumpkin recipes ~ yay! 

Pumpkin Spice Granola

from annies-eats

3 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal ( I used  Organic Koala Crisp)

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup brown sugar (I used Sucanat)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

up to 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (I used sunflower seeds and almonds)

up to 1 cup dried fruit (I used Craisins)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine oats and puffed rice cereal.  In a medium bowl whisk together the pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract.  Whisk until very smooth.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until the oat mixture is evenly coated.  Spread on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Then turn over the granola using a large, wide spatula.  Sprinkle the nuts onto the granola and bake for additional 15 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Depending on the size of your baking sheet, the center may not be fully dried if your granola layer is thick, so if necessary remove the edges of the cooked granola and let the rest bake until done, 10-15 minutes more.  Cool on pan or on a fine wire rack.  Break up granola as desired and toss with dried fruit.  Store in an airtight container.

Linking To:
Made by You Mondays
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Tatertots and Jello
Sugar and Spice at 733 Blog