My breakfast usually is a large bowl of yoghurt with fresh fruits, seeds and a few walnuts. And a few spoons of homemade granola for extra crunch and taste! Making your own granola is really easy and there are tons of recipes available on the web. I’d like to share my Seasonally Spiced Granola recipe with you here. As you’ve probably guessed already… there’s a Christmas touch to it!
Buckwheat or Oats?
Most granolas, whether homemade or shop-bought, are made using oats. And that’s perfectly fine. I like them! For my Seasonally Spiced Granola, I mainly used buckwheat though, either groats or flakes. Buckwheat has a nutty flavour and the groats are very crispy after baking. Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free since it’s not related to wheat (it is not a grass). The plant is actually related to rhubarb! What you use are the seeds of the plant.
Other Good Stuff
In addition to the buckwheat groats, I added (rolled) oats, almonds, coconut flakes, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. And, of course, spices!
I used a ready-made spice mix for the German version of gingerbread: Lebkuchen. This spice mix, which is called ‘Lebkuchengewürz’ is very similar to gingerbread or pumpkin spice or the Dutch ‘koek- en speculaaskruiden’. All of these spice mixes at least contain cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. Often you will also find anise, coriander, ginger, cardamom or orange in the list of ingredients too. Any of these ready-made spice mixes will do, although I would stay away from mixes that contain preservatives, sugar or salt.
You can, of course, make your own mixture to suit your personal taste. A quick search on the web will give you a lot of recipes.
The Tools
Luckily, you don’t need a lot of tools to make homemade granola! I use two mixing bowls and a spatula. To bake the granola you need a large baking sheet covered generously with baking parchment.
When the granola has cooled down, you should store it in an air-tight container or jar and it will keep for several weeks.
Seasonally Spiced Granola
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Oven
- Baking sheet and baking parchment
Ingredients
- 500 g buckwheat groats
- 100 g rolled oats
- 50 g pumpking seeds
- 50 g sunflower seeds
- 200 g almonds roughly chopped or flaked, see notes
- 50 g coconut flakes
- 5 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 5 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 2-3 tsp spice mix see notes
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan 160°C, 350°F, gas 4) and generously line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Add the buckwheat, oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut flakes to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, spices and salt to a smaller mixing bowl and stir until completely mixed.
- Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to combine. Make sure that all dry ingredients are well coated.
- Spread the mixture evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, take the baking sheet from the oven and carefully stir with a spatula. Place in the oven again and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
- Leave to cool on the baking sheet until completely cooled down.
Notes
- Flaked almonds burn faster. If you use flaked almonds, then do not add these at the beginning, but add them when you stir the mixture after the first 15 minutes of baking.
- I used shop-bought ‘Lebkuchengewürz’ for my Seasonally Spiced Granola, but you can also use:
- gingerbread spice
- pumpkin spice
- the Dutch ‘koek- en speculaaskruiden’
- a homemade spice mix
- When the granola is cooled down completely, store in an airtight container or jar. It will keep for 2-3 weeks.
DIY Christmas Gifts
Seasonally Spiced Granola is a great DIY Christmas gift! I’ve made a large batch recently and gifted some to friends and family along with some homemade jam, cookies or sugar-coated almonds. Just put some granola in a nice little bag or jar and add a tag: it’s so easy to make homemade presents!
Do you need some more inspiration for homemade Christmas gifts? You can find a few ideas here on the website! How about these recipes:
Or maybe some quick and easy crochet gifts?
- DIY Christmas cards or make a garland:
- Put your homemade goodies in a jar and add a crochet jar cosy to it:
- Or add a few crochet coasters to your gift:
- Cosy Coaster Crochet Pattern
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