Pumpkin Spice Granola

I had a half-cup of pumpkin puree left over from another recipe and was also out of homemade granola this morning. After searching the Internet, I combined a few recipes and came up with this recipe. It turned out pretty good, although the pumpkin flavor is a little more mild than I would have liked. The house smelled wonderful while it was cooking though!


Pumpkin Spice Granola

5 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. wheat germ
1 c. coconut
1 c. nuts (I used almonds, but pecans would be good.)
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. maple syrup (could use honey)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together oats, wheat germ, coconut, nuts and spices. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and stir until well combined. Spread onto two greased cookie sheets. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. I like my granola really crunchy so I ended up cooking it for around an hour. Add dried cranberries after granola is cooked. Store in an airtight container.