BakeBakeBake

• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup cookie butter (1 batch homemade, or store-bought)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups almonds (or any nut variety you prefer), chopped
• 1/2 to 1 cup raisins, cranberries, or dried fruit mix; adjust to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium-sized bowl, combine pumpkin, cookie butter, honey, oil, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir until smooth.
2. Add oats and chopped nuts to pumpkin mixture. Stir in until completely coated, then transfer to a foil-lined and greased cookie sheet. Spread out granola in a thin layer and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until granola reaches desired crunchiness. (Your granola may take even longer to bake, depending on your oven circulation–watch it carefully! The moistness of the pumpkin keeps it from baking too quickly, but you don’t want your granola to burn, either. Averie notes that the granola is inherently dark, because of the pumpkin, so you’ll want to do a crispness test occasionally by poking a cluster of granola to see if it’s firmed up.)
3. Remove granola from oven and stir in raisins or cranberries. Allow to cool–your granola should obtain a boosted crunch!–and serve with yogurt, milk, or a plain old comfort food in its own right. Enjoy!