Gingerbread Granola
Sweet, lightly spiced Gingerbread Granola is studded with red dried cranberries, green pistachios, and white chocolate chips, making it a perfect holiday breakfast or homemade food gift!
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If you enjoy giving easy and delicious homemade food gifts, you'll also want to check out Chai Tea Mix, Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce, and Marinated Cheese & Olives!
Homemade granola is one of my family's favorite breakfasts. So this year, I thought it would be fun to put a holiday spin on my favorite, tried and true granola recipe. Gingerbread Granola is not only jazzed up with warm spices, but it's also Christmas-ified by adding some yummy red, green, and white accents!
Ingredients
I love packaging up generous bags or jars of granola as gifts around the holidays (or really, any time of year!) for teachers, neighbors, family, and friends. I must say that such gifts are always well received. And, more often than not, result in at least a few recipe requests!
For this version of Gingerbread Granola, oats are sweetened with maple syrup and molasses and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. And then to make things extra festive, the cooled granola is studded with RED dried cranberries, GREEN toasted pistachios, and creamy WHITE chocolate chips. It's guaranteed to smell heavenly as it bakes and one taste will transport you straight to a holiday frame of mind!
Perfect for Gift Giving
It’s easy to make a big batch of this granola to divide up between several gifts.
I typically package it in clear cellophane bags or glass jars (quart-sized Mason jars work perfectly). Then simply fancy up your gift with some ribbon or colored twine, and don’t forget to add a cute gift tag!
I made these “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” printable gift tags last year, so feel free to hop over and download them for your Gingerbread Granola gifts…or for any of your other gift-giving needs this December. 😉
I hope y’all have a chance to try this recipe sometime soon, whether you bake it for your family, add it to a brunch spread while hosting guests, or whip it up as a thoughtful, much-appreciated, homemade food gift this holiday season. Enjoy, friends, and may your holidays be merry and bright!
More Homemade Food Gifts
- Cinnamon Sugar Pecans
- Cinnamon Bread
- Nutter Butter Christmas Cupcake Toppers
- Candy Cane Kiss Brownie Bites
Gingerbread Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 1 cup raw slivered almonds
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅔ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup lightly salted roasted pistachios
- 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut, almonds, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Pour coconut oil over mixture and stir. Combine maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla, pour over oat mixture, and stir all ingredients until evenly coated.
- Transfer granola onto a 13"x18"x1" rimmed sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring and flipping with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes, until the mixture turns a nice, even, golden brown, about 30 minutes total. Watch carefully for the last 10 minutes of baking time, checking every few minutes and stirring as necessary to prevent over-browning.
- Remove granola from the oven and stir frequently as it cools, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Once completely cool, mix in pistachios, dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Measure the maple syrup/molasses into the same measuring cup you used for the coconut oil. The residue of the oil helps the syrup slide out of the cup without sticking.
If you prefer, melted butter may be substituted for the coconut oil. - The granola will probably need to bake for a total of about 30 minutes, but ovens vary so watch the granola carefully, particularly the first time you make it and particularly for the last 10 minutes of baking time. If you cut the recipe in half, it will require less time, and if you double it and cook two sheet pans at once (switching racks and rotating pans each time you stir), it will take longer.
- Since this granola tends to stick to the pan if not stirred very frequently during the cooling process, I've found that using a Silpat or some parchment paper on the bottom of your sheet pan alleviates this problem (you just have to stir carefully to make sure the granola doesn't wind up stuck under the parchment paper).
Nutrition
Pumpkin seeds would make a great green substitute for pistachios too!
This recipe is excellent! My friends and family rave about it when they are gifted at Christmas. My only complaint is that roasted and salted pistachios are not as green as the ones in the picture.
PS I made another batch and used raw pistachios. They were beautiful Christmas green and tasted great!
I made this to put into jars for my neighbors! I had my picky 4 year old try some and she absolutely loved it! I may have to make another batch just for her!
Hi! I didn't hear back whether this could be made in the slow cooker like your really yummy slow cooker granola, so I went ahead and made it according to the directions. I just wanted to say that it was EXCELLENT and super easy to make. I made about 3 batches for neighbor gifts, and with the 2nd and 3rd batches cooked for less time because it got a little too crunchy with a full 30 minutes in the oven (even though I stirred it regularly). Thanks for the terrific recipe!
This granola looks AMAZING! What a perfect and unique neighbor gift! Could it be made in the slow cooker like your other recipe? Thanks!
I made a big batch of this tonight and YUMMM!! It's meant to be given as gifts this year, but I can't keep my husband away from it, haha. 🙂
You were right about watching it like a hawk that last 10 minutes, though - my first attempt was a batch yesterday, which I cooked for 30 minutes, and I ended up burning the coconut flakes just enough that it gave the whole batch a slightly charred flavor. Today I lowered the cook time to 22 minutes, and it came out perfectly.
Thanks so much for the recipe! I'm sure it's going to be a hit! 🙂
Hope your gift recipients enjoy, Jessica! 🙂
HOw many cups does this make? I want to make some for friends but want to make sure I know how much it will yield!
Hi Anna! I haven't actually measured out the quantity, but if you add up the cups of ingredients called for in this recipe, I'd estimate that the finished granola will yield 11 to 12 cups. Hope that helps!
This looks like a terrific holiday gift! If I were to make this and store in quart-size mason jars, how far in advance do you think I could make the granola and it still be fresh at Christmas? Thanks.
Hi Liz! I think you could make it up to a week ahead of time for maximum freshness. 🙂 It would still be fine to eat after that...it just might lose some of its crispness. Enjoy!
I love granola! I can't wait to try your Gingerbread Granola! The coconut you use, is it sweetened or unsweetened? Either is fine with me, I just wanted it to be as you intended it. Thank you so much!
I typically have unsweetened coconut on hand, Tomiann, but either will work! I've used both. 🙂