Pumpkin Granola: A Low-Fat Recipe

On my wish list to make for years: homemade granola.   The last time I tried making granola at home was with a toaster oven.  We were living in a two-room apartment in Vietnam at that time.  And, like when I tried to bake cookies, it was tricky to avoid burning the precious oats in such a tiny hot appliance.  So I stopped attempting to bake granola.

But I've longed to try again.  And after perusing various simple recipes, I settled on a recipe for pumpkin granola as my starting point.  Since I can't help but tweak most recipes I encounter, I decided to add coconut to my version.  Because from our time in Vietnam I also recall that pumpkin and coconut go very well together.  Try this granola and I think you will concur.

Pumpkin Granola Recipe

adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
5 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup flaked coconut, optional
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
almonds or pecans, optional (add last)


Directions:  

1. Combine dry ingredients except for brown sugar, coconut and nuts, if using.
2. In a separate bowl, blend together brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring until oats are evenly coated.
3. Spread granola out on a large parchment-lined baking tray.  Bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees F (160 C).  Stir granola and add in coconut.  Bake for 20 minutes more.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  Add nuts if desired.

*An Alternate Idea*
If you aren't up for making granola yet, I highly recommend you take any leftover pie (such as pumpkin or pecan) lurking in your fridge and stir it into warm oatmeal.  It's a truly yummy flavor combination too!

Which would you rather eat on a chilly morning--granola or oatmeal? 

This idea is linked to Just Something I Whipped Up and Anti-Procrastination Tuesday.

DIY Chocolate Cupcakes: Her Birthday Wish

Cakes from a mix always seem to turn out better for me than making a cake from scratch.  So on the day of my daughter's birthday party, I had a choice to make.  Risk attempting a chocolate cake from scratch or pull out the trusty Pillsbury mix that I had stocked in my cupboard the month before.  Easy choice, right?  Except my daughter expressly requested chocolate cupcakes, and I had only yellow cake mix on hand.  So I decided to improvise with the cake mix.

Here was the happy result:

We let each guest decorate her own cupcake.  

Here I chose chocolate frosting with coconut.

And here's how to do it:

1.  Heat one cup of water to a boil and stir in 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder until dissolved.
2.  Cool the dissolved cocoa mixture in a pan of cold water.  Place in the freezer to speed cooling.
3.  Meanwhile, grease or line a muffin tin.  In a large mixing bowl, pour yellow cake mix, eggs, oil, and cooled cocoa and water mixture.  Blend batter and bake cakes according to package instructions.

This idea is linked to Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.