Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post
Warmly fragrant with cinnamon and cloves, lightly maple-sweetened, and festive with dried cranberries and crystalized ginger, this granola has a heart-warming, holiday vibe. A ribbon-tied jar of it makes a delightful edible gift.
The granola will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 2 weeks.
HOLIDAY GRANOLA
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup sliced almonds
½ cup sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted)
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as a light olive oil, avocado oil, grapeseed or canola
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped crystalized ginger
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Toss the oats, walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. Add the maple syrup, oil, cinnamon, salt, ground ginger, and cloves and toss to coat evenly. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and cook, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until it is deeply browned and toasted, about 40 minutes.
Allow to cool on the baking sheet at room temperature for about 20 minutes; the granola will crisp as it cools. Toss in the dried cranberries and crystalized ginger. Transfer to an airtight container.
Makes about 6 ½ cups; 26 servings
Serving size: ¼ cup
Per serving: Calories 145; Total Fat 8 g (Sat Fat 1 g); Protein 4 g; Carb 17 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 23 mg; Total Sugar 5 g (including 4.8 g added sugar)
