This cinnamon raisin granola is perfect to add to your morning parfait, smoothie or even as a stand alone breakfast cereal. The best part is that it has no refined sugar, added plant protein with the sprouted pumpkin seeds and almonds, and of course its absolutely delicious!
Raisins or Cranberries?
It’s your choice! Ive made this both as cinnamon raisin granola, but I’ve also made it with dried cranberries. My husband does not enjoy raisins like I do, so we mixed it up with cranberries and it turned out just as yummy. The cinnamon really pairs nicely with both fruits.
One thing I will say is that cranberries can be tricky when finding some that are just plain cranberries. Most cranberries are sweetened and dried with oils to keep them from clumping. This is something I don’t want being that granola is already sweet enough. and I don’t want the extra additives. So I look specifically for unsweetend and oil free cranberries.
Sprouted Organic Pumpkin Seeds And Almonds
This is one of my favorite added ingredients for recipes such as this. Sprouted organic pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese and iron. They are a great source of fiber and they are considered “almost” a complete protein. Sprouted pumpkin seeds can also help give you a little boost of energy in the morning.
Almonds are also a good source of plant based protein. Considered a nutrient dense food, almonds are also a good source of fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, and antioxidants.
For this recipe I prefer sliced almonds, simply because they are easier to eat. But if you prefer a bigger crunch and love whole almonds, you can use whole almonds as well.
Local Raw Honey
The jury is out so to speak, with the idea of baking with raw honey. Some people think it’s a great sweetener alternative, but then others worry about ruining the health benefits of raw honey when it is baked. Both concerns are valid. If you are really worried about it, please do your own research.
However, I don’t bake or cook that often with raw honey, but when I do, I do so sparingly. Raw honey is packed with nutritional value. But those benefits may be altered under heat. Being that I don’t use it that often, I personally am not too worried about it. But again, if you are, just omit it from the recipe.
Maple Syrup
I absolutely love fresh maple syrup in my recipes. It helps that our family makes our own every year. It’s a rich reward for the labor that goes into it.
Did you know that maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than sugar? I love this, I find that I don’t get the sugar jitters like I do when I eat refined sugars, which is a huge plus. Not saying that it’s necessarily a healthier sweetener, it does have a similar amount of calories and carbohydrates to sugar. But the body absorbs it differently.
Preparing The Granola
This is the easy (and delicious) part. To me, putting the granola together and snitching before it’s baked, is a similar love of eating cookie dough. It’s just so delicious, it’s hard to help it. It’s like eating my apple crisp. That temptation is just too strong. Now, you simply add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix until well combined and dump on a parchment paper lined half sheet size cookie sheet, pat flat, and bake until nice and golden brown.
The recipe below is a family size recipe. So if you have a smaller family or only want a little bit, you’ll have to cut the recipe in half.
When the tray comes out of the oven, be sure to let it cool fully. It will look like a gooey mess. But trust me, once it is completely cool, it will be perfectly crunchy and ready for storage. If you like it to be evenly crumbled, you can stir it and break it up. But if you like the big pieces, don’t stir it. Then you will be able to break up your pieces into bigger chunks.
Storage
To store your granola, you’ll need an airtight container. I use mason jars with lids. This recipe for me, fills 1 half gallon size jar, plus a quart jar. If stored correctly you will be able to store your fresh homemade cinnamon raisin granola for a solid week if not longer, if it even lasts that long, yummy!
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please let me know if you like it by leaving me a positive comment below. And please consider following along on our social medias.
Cinnamon Raisin Granola
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 6 tbsp virgin coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup local honey or light honey
- 3 tsp vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup organic sprouted pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉
- Line a half sheet sized baking or cookie sheet with parchment paper, and set to the side.
- In a large bowl mixed together your dry ingredients. The oats, cinnamon, salt, pumpkin seeds almonds and cranberries.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together your wet ingredients; maple syrup, honey, melted coconut oil and vanilla.
- Using a spatula, mix together wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until well combined.
- Pour the granola onto the parchment lined baking sheet, and spread evenly. Pat to flatten. If you want larger chunks, flatten firmly and do not stir when cooling.
- For convection ovens, no need to rotate pan during baking. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. For standard ovens, bake for 15 minutes, and the rotate the pan and bake 10-15 more minutes for even toasting.
- Please remember that each oven varies, and toasting times may vary.
- Let cool completely.
- Serve fresh as a topping or with your favorite plant milk
- Store leftovers in an airtight container
