Healthy Pumpkin Spice Granola

one of the things i miss most about living in the midwest…FALL. the gorgeous foliage and cool, fresh air brings me a lot of joy. then again, when i turn and see the beach, that isn’t bad either, lol. either way, all of the pumpkin things will keep coming your way, including Healthy Pumpkin Spice Granola. it’s a recipe packed with nuts, sunflower seeds, oats, spices, maple syrup and yummy vegan butter. in fact, the vegan butter is KEY. it’s what makes a caramel-like sauce that coats the granola with all kinds of goodness. i used miyoko’s vegan cultured butter, which is one of my favorites and the ingredients are great.

one of the many reasons i love granola so much is it’s versatility. if there’s something you don’t care for in the recipe or an ingredient you want to add in, the swap is usually easy! don’t like peanuts and want to add pecans instead? go for it. raisins would be an excellent addition too, just make sure you don’t bake them and add after the granola cools down!

ingredients and directions

ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup raw walnut halves
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1 heaping tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup melted vegan butter (i used miyoko’s brand)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon

directions

1. add the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds and spices to a bowl and mix well.
2. melt the vegan butter, and then mix in the peanut butter and maple syrup.
3. pour over the granola mix and combine until everything is evenly coated.
4. spread out on a parchment paper lined baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. then, take out of the oven and use a spatula to mix the granola for even baking.
6. place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. enjoy!