pumpkin granola

What is a girl do do when she receives the cutest little sugar pie pumpkin in her CSA box?  A pumpkin that was too small to roast for soup or pie?  Obviously a pumpkin obsessed person like myself can't let a pumpkin go to waste.  I roasted that little baby up and pulled up a recipe for granola that I pinned during the last secret recipe club.

I truly enjoy granola on my yogurt and sprinkled on my oats but, the calorie and fat content typically prevent me from buying it.  I really enjoyed making it and being able to control the ingredients especially the amount of sweetener.  The version I made is not overly sweet.  It is sweet, salty, crunchy and very addicting.  Not sure having a low calorie granola helps when you are putting a handful in your mouth every time you walk through the kitchen. 

Pumpkin Granola
adapted: fat girl trapped in a skinny body

1/2 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup rice cereal

1/2 cup fiber one
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/3 cup pepitas

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice pumpkin in half and scoop out seeds.  Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for approximately 1 hour.

Once pumpkin is cool then scoop out flesh and puree using a food mill or immersion blender.

** You could sub canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, butternut squash ... 

Turn down the oven to 325 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat.

Mix the pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Mix the oats and cereals in another bowl. Dump the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until all of the dry ingredients are covered.

Dump and spread evenly onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and give the granola a good mix around. Sprinkle the granola with the dark brown sugar and the pepitas on top of the granola. Bake for another 20 minutes.

Check to confirm that the edges are dark and the granola is crispy.  I turned my oven off at this point and let the granola sit in the oven as it cools down.  This resulted in really crunchy granola which in my opinion rocks.