This winter granola is loaded with nuts, oats, some speculoos, cinnamon and other winter spices. I prefer it with yogurt or milk, some fruit, a cup of coffee and there you go, breakfast is ready. Doesn’t that sound like a great way to start the day? I love it, especially on cold or rainy days.
Making granola is easy and the best part is that it only contains ingredients I like. Sure, I can buy granola with nuts and cinnamon, but the store-bought version often contains too much granulated sugar and other ingredients that I do not need in my granola. Besides, this way I can decide what amounts of the ingredients I want to use. Cinnamon, for example, is my favorite spice in winter, so I like to use a little more of it.
Tools & Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Large baking sheet
- Large bowl
- Parchment paper
- Sealed jar or airtight container
- Silicone spatula
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
Nuts: you can substitute the nuts according to your own preferences, such as pecans, peanuts, pistachios or macadamia nuts. Besides, you can add seeds like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
Oil: it helps to make the granola crunchy. I prefer unrefined coconut oil. If you do not have this on hand or do not like it, you can replace it with olive oil.
Sweetener: instead of maple syrup, you can also use honey. These natural sweeteners add a lovely flavor to your granola that regular sugar does not have.
Parchment: line the baking sheet with parchment paper so the sweetener sticks to the oats and not the baking sheet.
Directions – How to Make Winter Granola
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Gather your ingredients and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the nuts and cookies in a food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Then melt the coconut oil in the microwave or on the stove.
Transfer the nut mixture to a large bowl and add the oats, cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and salt, then mix to combine. Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and almond butter and stir well. The mixture will look a little dry at first, keep stirring until everything is combined.
Spread the granola evenly all over the baking sheet and press it down a little. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and stir the granola. Bake for another 10-13 minutes. Keep an eye on the granola, as it can brown too much and burn from one moment to the next.
Let the granola cool completely. It will look very soft, but as it cools, it will turn crunchy. Then break it into the desired size.
Storage: fill the granola into a sealable jar or an airtight container and store at room temperature. This will keep it fresh for several weeks.
My Summary for Winter Granola
Difficulty: simple.
Taste: this granola tastes nutty, with a hint of cinnamon and other winter spices. It’s not too sweet.
Texture: it is super crunchy.
PROS: the recipe is easy to make and a much healthier alternative to store-bought granola. It’s so good I could eat it on its own.
CONS: none.
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- Banana Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Banana Raspberry Nice Cream
- Peanut Butter Eggs
- Peanut Butter Protein Bars
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