Maple Cardamom Granola…Breakfast, snack, dessert topping, gift? You decide!
This maple cardamom granola has to be one of the most versatile recipes to hit the blog. It’s right behind the MOST versatile of blog recipes, the greek seasoning. While the greek seasoning has many uses for flavoring food, the granola can be eaten any time of day. What’s not to love about a recipe that you can have for breakfast, snack on, use as a dessert or topping and give it as a gift. That’s winning at a high level.
Let me tell you what I love about this granola. The sweet dried fruit, the crunchy texture from the pecans and oats, the warm cardamom spice and the unexpected citrus all combine for a tapestry of amazing flavors. It’s one of those addicting pleasures that satisfies all your cravings at once.
There are many reasons to make your own granola, besides the obvious one I’ve already given:
- Tastes amazing
- Cheaper than store bought
- Healthier
- Makes a great hand made gift (you will look like a rock star)
- Super easy to make
This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and it’s delicious. The aroma that will waft through your kitchen is reason enough to make it.
The addition of toasted pecans, cranberries, orange zest and my fave spice cardamom, makes this perfect for the holiday season! If there are any ingredients in the line up that don’t appeal to you, feel free to change things up. Look at the oats, maple syrup, vanilla, and nut butter as the base. I used cashew butter but you could use almond butter or any nut butter you want. Once you have this base, this is where the fun comes in. You get to create your own custom granola. Aren’t you fancy now?
There really are no rules to making it your own, as with most of my recipes. I like to add any type of dried fruit such as cranberries, cherries, apricots, etc. with some nuts or seeds. Pecans are my favorite, but you could add walnuts, cashews, almonds etc. I have made so many variations of this recipe (more future recipes to come) and still have so many combinations to explore. One of my favorites is the blend of dried pineapple, toasted coconut and macadamia nuts….say Aloha to that one! Super tropical and super delicious!!
Would love to hear what you all come up with. Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know what you think. Happy baking!
Print
Prep Time:
Print
PinDescription
This simple maple cardamom granola made with cranberries, pecans, oats and a hint of orange is great for breakfast, snacking and makes a great holiday gift.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ C. Oats
- ½ C. Dried Cranberries
- 1 C. Toasted Pecans
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 4 T. Maple Syrup
- 1 t. Vanilla Extract
- ½ t. Cardamom
- ¼ C. Cashew Butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a bowl, blend cashew butter and maple syrup until smooth.
- Add cardamom and vanilla.
- Add oats and slowly incorporate into mixture.
- Smooth onto greased baking sheet sprayed with coconut oil.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 8 minutes then remove & break up big pieces and stir around and bake again for an additional 8 minutes.
- Cool completely (will become more crunchy as it cools).
- Toss with pecans and cranberries.
- Add orange zest and toss until well combined.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- This makes a great gift, especially for the holidays. Place in a jar with a decorative label and enjoy giving a gift from the heart.
Thank you for a wonderful granola recipe. I love cardamom, and so I tend to overdo; your proportions are great.
I did sub raisins for the cranberries. Baked at 300 for 10, stir, 10 minutes – I have had a run of burnt granola so being cautious. It helps that your recipe calls for the nuts to be toasted separately.
I am looking forward to trying many variations!
Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed!! Love the idea of the raisins too.
I made a double batch of this today, with a few changes: I used almond butter instead of cashew butter because it’s what I had on hand. For the double batch I used a full tablespoon of cardamom (it’s a favorite and a staple in our house), and cinnamon. I also used a full tablespoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of almond extract. I did not toast the pecans separately, but instead mixed them in with the oatmeal and baked them in the oven. The whole thing was in the oven at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes (stirring every 10). The family loves it although they did say that I could leave off the orange zest next time, but they also said that if I do add in the orange zest next time, they’ll still devour it. Great recipe. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!