Easy Homemade Pumpkin-Apple Granola

This past summer, I had the opportunity to work at a camp in Maine. While there I met Ruth, who shared with me her famous granola recipe. She mentioned that she often prepares the wet ingredients in bulk and then freezers it in various containers and/or bags. This inspired me to make it at home and freeze the wet ingredients in one of my Souper Cubes® trays. I cannot wait to have this treat throughout the fall. My favorite part is that this recipe easily divides into 4 batches (1 batch = 3 cups of oats), which lets me change and customize the granola each time. 

For the first batch of granola, I used oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, and chocolate chips. My favorite is using this granola for breakfast/snacks with a bowl of yogurt and honey.

How To Make Easy Homemade Pumpkin-Apple Granola

Step 1: Gather and prep Ingredients

Step 2: Mix all wet ingredients together in a bowl

Put everything but the oats, nuts, fruits, and/or chocolate chips in a bowl.

Step 3: Spread mix evenly in a single Souper Cubes® tray

For this recipe, I was able to make 4 cubes, each a ¾ cup.

Step 4: When you're ready to make the granola, defrost a single cube and add dry ingredients. Mix together.

You can defrost the cube in either a mug in the microwave or on the stove top. For this recipe, I added 3 cups of oats, a ½ cup of sliced almonds, a ½ cup of chopped pecans, and a ½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened).

If you're going to add chocolate or dried fruit, mix it in after you've baked the granola. Make sure you let it cool before mixing together. I prefer mini chocolate chips to regular ones.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 325°F, then bake 30 minutes

I put my granola on parchment paper to make the cleanup easier. I also stirred the granola after 15 minutes.

Step 6: Enjoy!

This is great as a bowl of cereal or on top of yogurt! 

Easy Homemade Granola with Pumpkin Puree and Apple Sauce

Ingredients

Granola "Sauce"

• 1-15oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1½ cups of apple sauce
• 3 tablespoons of oil (I used coconut oil)
• ¾ cup of brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

Granola Mix-Ins

• 3 cups of rolled oats 
• Optional Add-Ons: sliced almonds, chopped pecans, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix Ingredients. Mix pumpkin puree, apple sauce, oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.
2. Pour into Freezing Tray. Distribute wet mix evenly in a single Souper Cubes® tray. Cover with lid. This will yield 4 cubes that are roughly ¾ cup each. Freeze.
3. Ready to Bake. When you're ready to make the granola, defrost 1 cube (in either a microwave or stovetop). Add 3 cups of rolled oats plus any of the optional add-ons. For my granola, I added a ½ cup of sliced almonds, ½ cup  of chopped pecans, and a ½ cup of shredded coconut. Make sure the dry ingredients have an evening coating of the granola "sauce." Then bake granola in a 330F oven for 30 minutes. Make sure to stir every 10 minutes. Once it's finished baking, let the granola cool and add any dried fruit or chocolate. 

Don't forget to check out some of our other Souper Cubes® friendly recipes

Ready to kickstart your fall season with homemade granola? Start by making the sauce ahead of time and freeze in your Souper Cubes® tray