For every Christmas of my childhood, my younger brother and I would spread out blankets on the floor of his room for a sibling “sleepover” while waiting for Santa to slide down the chimney. We’d curl up with our favorite stuffed animals and somehow manage to fall asleep, despite the excitement threatening to bubble over.
Yet with so much eager anticipation, we awoke well before the sunrise, so our parents created the rule that we had to stay in the bedroom until 6 am. The moment the second hand hit 12, we could run out to the fireplace and look at—but not touch!—our stockings before dashing back to their room to gently poke them awake.
Sometime around high school, we slowly started to push up the time. 6 am turned in 7, then 8, and occasionally 9. We even started to brush our teeth and comb our hair before shuffling out to the Christmas tree in fuzzy slippers.
But this year, Christmas didn’t start until almost 2 pm! Between my guy’s food poisoning from the day before, my brother’s strange allergic reaction, and the fire alarm shrieking at 4:30 am at my grandparents’ hotel, everyone needed extra rest that morning.
But since my parents still hopped out of bed at 6 am (nothing like a puppy to wake you up in the morning!) and I wandered out around 8:30, we needed something to snack on before our official Christmas brunch. This Cranberry Gingerbread Granola was perfect! It’s cozy, warm, and makes the kitchen smell like festive cookies—just without the icing!
To get that iconic cookie taste, we need two important ingredients: ginger and molasses. The former gives the granola that little zip of spice, while the latter provides the familiar warmth and depth. I used Gourmet Garden’s ginger paste for a fresh ginger taste. You can find it in the produce section, and it keeps for weeks!
When it comes to granola, I’m all about the crunchy clusters. Otherwise, it’s just like eating regular cereal! I have 2 tricks on how to make those clusters.
1) Use crisp rice cereal. Nearly every store-bought granola does this too! The rice cereal adds lots of crunch without the fat and calories of extra oil. I use equal amounts of old-fashioned oats and rice cereal for maximum crunch.
2) Only stir a tiny bit while baking. Just enough to move big clumps around the pan. The more you stir, the more likely it is to break up the clusters. I use a spoon and gently push around the pieces. It’s easier to break up really big clusters after baking if any are too large for your liking.
Then all that’s left is dried cranberries! They’re one of my favorite dried fruits and so fitting for sharing over the holidays, seeing as my mom was the first one to introduce them to our family. They provide a bright tangy taste, as well as some extra sweetness as a cozy complement to the granola.
As a granola fiend, I kept slipping into the pantry to sneak another handful of this Cranberry Gingerbread Granola. I nearly forgot to save room for Christmas cookies and coffee cake! I blame it all on those crunchy clusters…
| Cranberry Gingerbread Granola | | Print |
- 1 ½ c (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 ½ c (40g) crisp rice cereal (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 tsp (3g) ground cinnamon
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp (30mL) molasses
- 2 tbsp (30mL) maple syrup, room temperature
- 6 tbsp (90mL) nonfat milk, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (16g) Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste
- ⅓ c (40g) dried cranberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, rice cereal, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, molasses, maple syrup, and milk. Whisk in the ginger paste until no large lumps remain. Pour the ginger mixture into the cereal mixture, and stir with a spatula until all of the cereal is completely coated.
- Spread the cereal mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes or until crunchy, gently stirring every 15 minutes to break up the mixture and ensure even baking. Cool completely in the pan; then sprinkle with the dried cranberries.
For the biggest crunchy clusters, be very gentle when stirring! The more you stir, the more likely it is that the clumps will break apart. It’s easier to break up the clusters after baking if any are too large for your liking.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
This post was sponsored by Gourmet Garden. As always, all opinions, text, images, and recipe are my own.
More granola recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Apple Cinnamon Stovetop Granola by The Healthy Maven
♥ Maple Cinnamon Quinoa Granola by Naturally Ella
♥ Pumpkin Apple Butter Granola by The Messy Baker
♥ Lightened Up Dark Chocolate Chunk Cherry Granola by The Housewife in Training Files
This is the perfect recipe to say goodbye to the holidays and hello to the new year! I love granola but I’ve only tried it a few times so this needs to happen. This looks delicious!
Thanks Tori! Granola is one of my favorites. It’s almost dangerous to keep around! 😉 I hope you’re able to try making it again in 2015!
I do miss the days of Christmas mornings being the best thing ever. This granola looks so tasty, I love the incorporation of molasses. I’ve been OBSESSED with that stuff this year!
We need to start a molasses fan club! It’s one of the best underused ingredients out there!
This looks wonderful! I love that ginger paste. I use it ALL THE TIME!
xxo,
Kelly
http://asideofsweet.com
Thanks Kelly! They have some incredible products, and I’m so glad to hear you already enjoy them!
Haha – I love that story from your childhood! Lucas just showed me a picture (something he found online? Or maybe it was a friend on FB?) of parents booby trapping their kids into their rooms by creating an obstacle course so they couldn’t sneak out and ruin Christmas early! I’m so sorry to hear about your guy’s food poisoning – what a terrible way to start Christmas eating:( I’m glad you had sometime in the morning to relax in the kitchen with some delicious homemade granola!
Ohhh my gosh… I can totally see my guy’s parents doing that to him as a kid, if he wasn’t a morning person. Thank goodness for them he always slept in on his own!
We always wait for family on Christmas day so we do our present opening after lunch … really classic I know 🙂 I like the slower mornings though! And I love granola. We actually had that for morning after Christmas breakfast! I wish it had been this version though – that ginger paste tho!!
I wish I could be adopted into your family! The older I get, the more important sleep is to me… Even on Christmas morning. 😉 We need to be neighbors so we can share all of our goodies!
It’s so true that Christmas just starts later every year now. Sorry to hear that your family go sick, though!
I still haven’t tried adding rice cereal to my granola yet. Will definitely give it a go though!
Thanks for your kind words Lisa! Everyone was back to normal the day or two after Christmas, which was a real blessing. I hope you enjoyed your holiday as well!
I have never seen the ginger paste. I am interested in that. I am not a ginger lover without molasses. The recipe looks so delicious! The cranberries are definitely a favorite also. I make mine with fruit and without for my family. Some want it plain and some want the nuts and fruits. I am excited about your flavors. Can’t wait to try this one. FYI, my only concern about accessing your recipes blog from my phone was the continuous ads constantly going up and down that I couldn’t get rid of. Other than that, loved your blog!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your kind words Bea! I love how you customize granola to suit your family’s tastes. They must really love you! And thank you for the information regarding my mobile site; I’m looking into that now. 🙂
Can’t wait to give this granola a try! I might sprinkle in some cardamom because I love it so.
I really hope you enjoy the granola Correen, and I love your cardamom idea! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
How would I make these into granola bars? Anyone???
This recipe was specifically designed for granola, so I’m not sure if it’s possible to successfully turn it into granola bars. My best advice would be to add two egg whites to the molasses mixture and reduce the baking temperature to 300°F. I’m not sure how long they’ll take to bake, but the granola bars would be done when they feel firm. I’d love to hear what you try and if it works Carrie!