Growing up I had cereal almost everyday of my life. So I am not sure why my kids are not happy with it. Of course I was eating Cap’n Crunch, Cookie Crisp and Fruit Loops, which could explain why I never got tired of it. But even now that I make healthier choices, I am perfectly happy with a cold cereal for breakfast. As I thought about how to make cold breakfast more fun for the kids I decided to make a granola that tasted like gingerbread cookies. Who wouldn’t want Gingerbread cookies for breakfast?
I cut the traditional amount of sugar in a granola recipe and added dates to sweeten things up a bit. I also used some flour and both quick and rolled oats to make some of those lovely granola clusters in the mix. Yum! I first tried the recipe on the students at Emmanuel Institute and the Gingerbread granola was definitely the favorite. I actually ran out of it first and had to make more! My daughter had it at this month’s supper club and she loved it…said it tasted like cookies. Looks like it worked.
Here is the recipe for you to try out on your family.
Gingerbread Granola
- 2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cups quick oats
- ¼cup whole grain flour
- 2 cups puffed wheat (optional)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup coconut or canola oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dates, chopped
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl mix oil, maple syrup, molasses and vanilla extract. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Spread the mixture evenly onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring near the halfway point to ensure even cooking.
- Once the granola is browned remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan. The granola will crisp up a little more while it cools.
- Keep in an airtight container.
