Pumpkin Granola with Candied Pepitas

I know, I know.  Thanksgiving is over.  Christmas came before Thanksgiving even got here.  But now that the turkey has passed us, fall seems to be gone too.

So why am I making pumpkin granola now?  Well, because it's good.

And also, I actually did make this before Thanksgiving.  But my life can sometimes be crazy-town.
I'm not a professional blogger, just a lady with a real life and a real job and a blog.

So sometimes I'm a little late.  But that's OK, because this Pumpkin Granola with Candied Pepitas is still good.  And you can feel free to eat it anytime of year.  I like it with yogurt, or in oatmeal, or just plain.

By the way, the light wasn't changing at all when I did these photos...same spot, same camera, same time.

This recipe was inspired by this and this.

Ingredients:

Candied Pepitas
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds*)

Granola
Dry Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (I use salted)
1/2 cup flake coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons flax (ground**)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Wet Ingredients:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons honey
Mix-ins:
1/4 cup chopped dried mango (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup raisins
The candied pepitas that you made above

How to:

Start with candy-ing your pepitas.  Mix together all of the dry spices in a small bowl and set aside.  Using a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Add pepitas and all of the spice mix.  Stir constantly, toasting the pepitas until they turn golden brown.  Add honey and brown sugar and continue to cook while stirring for another couple of minutes.  Transfer the seeds to a large sheet tray.  Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then break them up with a spatula to avoid sticking.  Set aside.

While your candied pepitas are cooling, start the granola.  Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small sauce pan at low-medium heat, add the wet ingredients and heat until liquefied.  Once liquefied, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Spread the mixture evenly onto an oiled baking pan (I just give mine a quick spray of canola oil) and bake at 300 for 15 minutes, stir with a spatula and bake for another 15 minutes until golden.  Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.  Add mix-ins when baking is done.  If you want larger chunks, stir/break-up after the granola has cooled, if you want a more loose granola, stir a few times while cooling.

*I bought my pepitas at our local co-op.  They looked like this...

Gourmet Sleuth

Mine had a smoky flavor.  I'm certain I bought plain ones, so I'm not sure if this is how they typically taste or not.  If anyone has any comments regarding how pepitas should taste, please share!

**Much to the love of The Cyclist, I use his coffee grinder to grind my flax seeds.  Just dump some in the grinder and pulse until you have a powdery substance.  Watch out because they puff up upon grinding.  Make sure you clean out the grinder when you're done so your husband doesn't have flax flavored coffee.

I shared this recipe on the following sites:

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Mom's
My Sweet and Savory
hey what's for dinner Mom?