Happy New Year! It’s about time to get back to the blog after a few weeks at both ends of the temperature spectrum – starting off in Punta Cana right before the holidays and ending this past week with single-digit temperatures back on the east coast. With new year’s resolutions in full swing, I figured I’d put some of my cookie recipes on the back burner for a few weeks and give y’all what you’re looking for: delicious and healthy recipes. Well, at least for as long as most resolutions last. So without further adieu, let’s dive face first into a bowl of this freshly baked Cranberry Pecan Granola.
With all my traveling this holiday season (and racking up over 100 flights in 2017) I actually didn’t over-indulge in cookies and sweets since I wasn’t in one place long enough to really bake up a storm. My waistline is thankful for not adding on any extra inches, but like most people, I always like to start out January focused on healthier eating. Since I wasn’t traveling this past week – 10 days at home is my longest stint in months – I took advantage to finally experiment with some new recipes. I’m a big fan of Purely Elizabeth Granola and mostly stick to their Cranberry Pecan flavor, which I used as my inspiration for my own recipe.
I normally add some type of seed, like pumpkin or sunflower, to my granola, but decided to take a cue from the Purely Elizabeth version and use a quarter cup of uncooked quinoa to add a light crunch. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it, but it really adds a nice subtle crunchier texture to the granola. There are few smells more delicious to me than freshly toasted coconut, but I think the combo of toasted coconut and pecans might be my new favorite scent. When this granola comes out of the oven, it’s just a symphony of angelic flavors that you won’t be able to resist.
Another added perk to this delicious recipe is that it is all naturally gluten-free. And if you’re forced to eat gluten free, you know that healthy food that actually tastes delicious is not easy to come by. My mom uses me as her “gluten-free tester” when we are in restaurants just as a safety check to make sure her version truly is gluten free. And I can tell you that my mom has tasted my granola recipes in the past and dubbed them “crackola” due to their addicting deliciousness.
If you’re looking to lighten this up a bit, you can always replace the light brown sugar with coconut sugar, but honestly there’s not that much in the entire recipe so just portion out 1/3 of a cup and don’t eat the whole batch in one sitting and you’ll be just fine. If you like this recipe, make sure to check out a few other granola recipes from months past:
Yield: 5 Cups
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes