BREAKFAST RECIPES

Gingerbread Granola

Updated

A homemade gingerbread granola sweetened with molasses and spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves, baked with oats, coconut and nuts and finished with raisins.

Prep
10 min
Cook
28 min
Total
1 hr 10 min
Yield
about 5 1/2 cups
Illustration of Gingerbread Granola

This granola tastes like a gingerbread cookie in breakfast form. Molasses gives it a deep, slightly bittersweet flavor and a dark golden color, while cinnamon, ginger and cloves bring the familiar holiday spice. Rolled oats, coconut and chopped nuts toast into crunchy clusters, and raisins go in at the end so they stay soft. It is a classic from the KitchenSimplicity archive.

Make a batch in early December to have on hand for Christmas-week breakfasts with milk or yogurt, or pack it into jars for easy homemade gifts. It comes together in about 10 minutes, and the oven does the rest.

Tips

  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
  • One large sheet pan works too, but stir more often and expect a few extra minutes so the center crisps.
  • Swap the raisins for dried cranberries or chopped crystallized ginger for a more festive mix.
  • For gifting, pack the cooled granola into jars or cellophane bags tied with ribbon and add a storage date.

Gingerbread Granola

Prep
10 min
Cook
28 min
Total
1 hr 10 min
Yield
about 5 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (110 g) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 cups (270 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup (85 g) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
  • 1 cup (115 g) chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts
  • 1/2 cup (75 g) raisins

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves until smooth and evenly blended.
  3. Add the oats, coconut and nuts and stir until every piece is lightly coated with the spiced molasses.
  4. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer across the two baking sheets.
  5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and switching the sheets between racks halfway through, until the oats are toasted and golden and the coconut is lightly browned.
  6. Take the pans out of the oven and stir the raisins into the hot granola.
  7. Let the granola cool completely on the sheets, about 30 minutes; it will crisp as it cools. Break up any large clusters and transfer to an airtight container.

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