Perfectly Wrong Pumpkin Spice Granola for Hands On Family Time

With an adorably sassy head nod, my second born tells me, “It’s ok Mom!  We can just do the wrong thing!”  Moments before, we were standing in our baking corner attempting to put together a granola recipe.  As I listed off all the potential ingredients, I called out cinnamon.  Looking up to my spice carousel I uttered “Ugh!  Shoot!  It’s still at the neighbors house!” Then my Cc said that helpful phrase.  “We can just put in wrong things!”  After internally cringing, I said out loud, “Thank you Cc!  We can do the wrong thing.”  So, I grabbed the pumpkin pie spice and added a bit more.  In this anecdote we see the joy of granola.  Granola is flexible and simple.  You can ‘do it wrong’ and it still comes out right. Grab a kid or two and make this perfectly wrong pumpkin spice granola for fun family time and giggles.

Ingredients Deep Dive

Pumpkin Spice Granola for Hands on Family Fun, like all granola, is a combination of wet ingredients and dry ingredients. The wet ingredients become the adhesive that keeps the dry stuff together in delicious granola clusters. A perfect bowl of granola is really in the hands of the holder. Crispy, chunky, sweet, or soft? However you like your granola, you can shift a recipe to get different results. You can make the recipe perfectly wrong, and still have a yummy breakfast. Even better, if you make this recipe with your family you will also get fun family bonding from the baking experience.

Dates: You can buy your dates pre-chopped or you cut them up do by hand.  If you are chopping by hand, it can be a sticky experience. To lessen the stick factor, chop the dates along with a handful of the oats.

Almonds: I like to include 2 different types of almonds, but you can change this out for all one type or even a different type of nut.  The different textures adds a nice variety to the granola clusters.  If you like walnuts, add those.  Pecans are especially tasty in this pumpkin spice granola recipe.  I use almonds because my local grocery store has them at a great price and then I don’t have to chop the nuts which I find time consuming.

Coconut: I prefer the unsweetened coconut in order to control the sugar level in granola.  Also, the sweetened coconut tends to burn more easily, so use unsweetened if you can find it.  However, if unsweetened is not available, you can still make this recipe.  Go ahead and use sweetened but be sure to fully incorporate the coconut into the pumpkin mixture and to keep close watch starting at 30 minutes to see if it is burning.

Chia Seeds: These are optional, but I love that they help the oat mixture form more clusters.  They also add some fiber and heart healthy fat.  If you don’t have them, no need to make a special grocery store run.

Granola Texture: After you have combined your wet ingredients and dry ingredients you will be ready to bake your granola. I suggest you do two things before proceeding. First, taste the mixture to see if you like it. If you don’t, you can make additions. Try some vanilla, another tablespoon of maple syrup, or more pumpkin pie spice. Second, grab a small amount of the granola mixture and squeeze it together. If it holds its shape, you will end up with lots of granola clusters once it is baked. If it falls apart, you will have fewer clusters when the recipe has cooled. What is your granola goal for the day? For clusters, have a wetter mixture. For loose granola, have a drier mixture. The bake time will be longer for the wet mix and shorter for the dry mix. The great news? As long as you watch it in the oven you won’t mess it up!

Making Perfectly Wrong Pumpkin Spice Granola for Family Time

This granola recipe is perfect for family bonding through baking.  There is minimal knife usage, and limited oven usage.  Without eggs and flour, if kids sneak a bite or 10, salmonella isn’t lurking.  Unlike no-bake recipes, you will bake the mixture so any germs will get cooked out.  The kids can practice their stirring skills, or how to safely use a mixer.  As the parent, you get a chance to interact organically with your littles even if it gets messy. 

Baking with kids is an experience that gets better with practice.  The more you work in the kitchen together, the better your kids will get at measuring, stirring, and listening. If you have a mischief maker like my Cc, you will always have to look out for any bonus ingredients they might try to add, but the process gets easier. (One time she added about a 1/4 cup of salt to our cookie batter!) Best of all, it is truly fun to create something concrete together.  Bonus, that something is super yummy and ready in less than an hour!

Perfectly Wrong Pumpkin Spice Granola Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree
• 3 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Neutral Tasting Oil
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
• 1/2 Cup Slivered Almonds
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Slivered Coconut
• 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 10-15 Dates chopped into small pieces
• 3 Heaping Cups Old Fashioned Oats

Let’s Make Granola

• 1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees or 275fan and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 2. Gather your ingredients and get all the chefs ready.  For family baking, make sure the the kids have a sturdy way to reach the baking area such as a stool. If the dates are still whole, go ahead and chop them now.   
• 3. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and dates.  
• 4. Once combined, add in the oats, both types of almonds and coconut.  You can mix by hand or with an electric mixer.  I prefer the electric mixer because it makes the task much simpler, but either method works well.  The kids can help mix the liquid ingredients and most of the dry ingredients, but might need help incorporating all of the oats if mixing by hand.  A helpful hint for younger bakers is to remind them one hand on the bowl, one hand on the spatula.  This helps my kids immensely because it keeps the bowl from spinning like a tumble weed.
• 5. Once the pumpkin mixture has evenly coated all of the dry ingredients, you are ready to split the mixture between the 2 baking sheets.  Working with one pan at a time, carefully begin pressing the unbaked granola into a flat layer.  You want to apply a lot of pressure. This will spread the mixture into a “super cookie,” except for a small, goofy looking gap in the middle of the pan. (See the image at the top of the page for reference.) This helps with even browning. Repeat with second baking sheet.
• 6. Grown Up Time. Slide the pan into the preheated oven. This granola needs a long, slow bake to dry out the pumpkin. It will be in the oven for 35-50 minutes. After 30 minutes, take a peak in the oven. You are looking for the granola to grow more golden. It will be fragrant and feel mostly dry to the touch. If you have a super powered oven, the edges might be browning too quickly and then you will need to remove just those toasty pieces before returning the pan to finish baking. For extra crispy granola, turn off the oven just as the granola is golden all over and feels mostly dry. Leave the pans in the oven until they are completely cool.
• 7. Once the granola has cooled, you can use the parchment paper to pour the granola into a storage container. If you didn’t use baking paper, you can use a spatula to transfer it. This granola will keep for 2 weeks in a sealed container. Ours never lasts that long.

Measuring, stirring, talking and collaborating on this recipe creates a shared experience that is helpful to the whole family.  At the end of the bake session, you have a go-to breakfast, a topping for ice cream or a healthy mid-night snack.  The kids are gaining the valuable skill of feeding themselves healthy, whole foods. Whether it goes perfectly to plan or perfectly wrong, everyone wins because you are together and tummies are full. If you are looking for more recipes to make with your kids, try these pumpkin spice snack bites or these double chocolate snack bites.