Cranberry Orange and Pecan Granola

An irresistible gluten-free granola flavored with dried orange peel, cinnamon and ginger. Great to give as an edible gift or to keep all to yourself!

Irresistible gluten-free granola flavored with dried orange peel, cinnamon and ginger. Great to give as an edible gift or to keep all to yourself!! | #vegan #ediblegifts

I have a very long, consistently evolving list of recipes that I want to make and every week, at least ten new ideas pop into my head. I’m usually left trying to narrow it down to the few that I realistically have the time to make, but of course the list that I eventually narrow it down to is always completely unrealistic. Consequently, I end-up rolling out of bed on the weekends in my pajamas and rushing to the kitchen so that I can run around like a crazy person as I make four different things and try not to burn the house down.

Brandon will occasionally snap a picture of me during this process {memories, he says} but this morning, as I stood there in my comfy fleece pants and spandex sports bra with melted chocolate smeared on my stomach and bits of crumbled cheese stuck in my hair, he was kind enough to have mercy on me.

Sometimes I wonder if all of this is worth constantly feeling like a hot mess, but then when I stop and take a deep breath and the scent of orange peel, cinnamon and ginger creeps into my nose, I’m reminded that yes, it is.

Irresistible gluten-free granola flavored with dried orange peel, cinnamon and ginger. Great to give as an edible gift or to keep all to yourself!! | #vegan #ediblegifts

That list of recipes has been flooded with all things cranberry and orange lately but I’m trying my best to mix in other recipes so that I don’t overload you with the same thing over and over again. That said, I’m very happy with my decision to make this granola because it’s the best to ever come out of my kitchen.

I know I tend to say that with every new granola I make but this one really is the best. It uses an entire dried orange peel and the flavor makes itself known as soon as it sets foot on your taste buds.

How to dry orange peel

There are actually a few different ways you can dry an orange peel- I chose the fastest route which is baking it in the oven for about 30 minutes. As it bakes, it starts to curl up and eventually hardens so that you can grind it with a food processor {or a coffee grinder} into a fine powder.

how to dry orange peel

how to dry orange peel

Irresistible gluten-free granola flavored with dried orange peel, cinnamon and ginger. Great to give as an edible gift or to keep all to yourself!! | #vegan #ediblegifts

After it’s baked, the bright flecks of orange stick to all of the other ingredients, leaving pops of citrusy flavor with each bite.

And then the scent…THE SCENT. You can forget having to buy holiday candles because this will blow those out of the water.

Irresistible gluten-free granola flavored with dried orange peel, cinnamon and ginger. Great to give as an edible gift or to keep all to yourself!! | #vegan #ediblegifts

It’s special enough to give as an edible gift and it’s vegan (if made with maple syrup) and gluten-free so you don’t have to worry about it ruining anyone’s diet. Plus it’s kind of nice to have a healthy alternative to all of those holiday cookies.

Orange-Cranberry-Granola

Okay, okay. Who am I kidding? It’s nice to have IN ADDITION to holiday cookies.

It’s all about balance, right?

Irresistible gluten-free granola flavored with dried orange peel, cinnamon and ginger. Great to give as an edible gift or to keep all to yourself!! | #vegan #ediblegifts

Cranberry Orange and Pecan Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 18 ounces

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats*

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 large orange peel, dried and finely ground (approx. 1/4 cup)

3 tablespoons golden flax meal

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Thinly slice the orange peel and then spread it out on the cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until it starts to shrink and curl then remove from the oven and allow to cool.
  2. Raise the oven to 300°F and then use a small food processor or a coffee grinder to grind the orange peel into a powder. Transfer the ground orange peel to a large bowl with the oats, pecans, pumpkin seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, ginger, and salt then stir to combine.
  3. Next pour in the honey or maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract and stir until everything is evenly coated. Spread the mixture onto the cookie sheet, keeping it together in about a 10x 10” block. This helps it stick together while it cooks so that it will have a chunky consistency when cooled. You can skip this part if you don’t like chunky granola.
  4. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes and then allow to cool for at least 20 minutes. Transfer it to a large bowl and stir in the cranberries then store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

*be sure to use certified gluten-free for allergies

https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/cranberry-orange-pecan-granola/