Hello blog world! I promise I have not forgotten about you! As a newbie blogger I am clearly unprepared for blogging whilst keeping up with the hustle and bustle of the holidays! I do solemnly swear to get my butt in gear! I have SO many recipes I am dying to share with you all! Today I am sharing a recipe I started as round 1 in my test kitchen but it ended up being so good on the first go I am going to let you in on it! Due to the season and the colors of the nuts and berries I am calling it my Holiday Granola! However, it is actually an all day err’ day type of granola. Crunchy pistachios and almonds, hearty oats, tangy berries, all melded together with sticky sweet maple syrup and agave nectar! Every word of that description sounds like holy-cow-get-in-my-belly!
This granola is perfect for a variety of difference dishes. You can add it to your morning yogurt, layer it on top of a dessert custard, add milk and eat it as cereal, or even just munch on it plain as a trail mix!
Another motive for naming this recipe “Holiday Granola” is due to the variety of reasons you would want to make it for the holidays! I listed a few of those reasons below so you can “ooo” and “ahhh” over this granola and let it transform you into the hostess that has the mostest (or host, but that doesn’t go with my rhyme).
- This amazing recipe keeps for up to 3 weeks. I have not actually tried to keep it longer….but it just might.
- The fact that it keeps for a while means you can make it in bulk for hectic holiday breakfasts or desserts. Anything that can be made ahead is good in my book.
- Yet another bonus of the shelf life of this recipe is you can give it as gifts! Pour some in a mason jar, write the recipe on a tag, tie the tag on the jar with festive twine…VOILA! Healthy, holly- jolly gifts!
- Cranberries are red and pistachios are usually green. I say usually because mine were not that green this time so they didn’t look as Christmas-like as I had hoped.
- This recipe is versatile! Don’t have pistachios on hand but you have cashews? Swap them! No cranberries, but you have raisins? Swap them! Any number of varieties will still be delicious in this recipe! No need to run to the store if you have great substitutes on hand!
- This recipe makes your house smell like the North Pole. As the granola toasts in the oven it releases holiday magic into your home. If you close your eyes with a Christmas movie on you might forget where you are and be swept away to a place where time slows and Christmas is every day of the year…..or not. Regardless of how well your imagination works (hey, mine is a gift), your house will smell amazing and all your guests will ask where they can purchase that scented candle. That is your queue to pull up my blog and gush over how fantastic and easy this granola recipe is and then surprise them with their very own jar of it! HOSTESS. WITH. THE. MOSTEST.
Can you think of any other reasons to make this granola? Let me know in the comments below!
- 2 ½ C Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 C shelled pistachios
- ¼ C Slivered Almonds
- ½ C Dried Cranberries
- ¾ C Maple Syrup
- ¼ C Amber Agave Nectar (or light is fine too)
- ¼ C Vegetable Oil (coconut oil would work too)
- 1 Tbs Vanilla extract
- ¼ Tsp Almond extract
- ½ Tbs Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
- Add oats, pistachios, and almonds into a large bowl and mix well.
- Add maple syrup, agave nectar, vegetable oil, vanilla and almond extract, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl and mix well.
- Add wet mixture into dry mixture and mix well.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add wet granola to the baking sheet. Spread out well over the sheet.
- Bake in oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. This step is important to ensure all areas are evenly toasted.
- Pull out of oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Once completely cooled, pour granola into a dry bowl and add cranberries. Place toasted granola in an air sealed container and store for up to 3 weeks.
Jack Stone says
Great idea for holiday gatherings!
Jenn says
I’ll be bringing some to ours!