Vegan Pumpkin Maple Nut Granola

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN. 

As Starbucks has proven with the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, it is kinda sorta officially fall!!

Well in my head it is, so we're just going to say it is! 

I love fall because its that time of the year where it is socially acceptable for me to truly show my love and mild obsession with all things pumpkin and cinnamon related!! 

So I hopped back on the granola train and found this recipe for a Pumpkin Maple Pecan Granola on Edible Perspective, found here: http://www.edibleperspective.com/home/2013/11/15/breakfast-friday-pumpkin-maple-pecan-granola.html

I didn't have pecans so I changed the recipe to walnuts, but do as you please!

Ingredients:

wet mixture:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1-2 tablespoons muscovado sugar, or coconut sugar/sucanat/brown sugar
• 1 vanilla bean scraped, about 1/4 teaspoon (I opted for vanilla extract) 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon all spice
• 1/8 teaspoon clove

dry:

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 2/3 cup pecans, chopped (I just did walnuts)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 6-8 chopped + pitted medjool dates

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line baking try with parchment paper

2. Combine wet mixture in a large bowl and take out 2 tablespoons of the wet mixture

3. With 2 tablespoons of the mixture set aside, mix oats in to large bowl with mixture

4. Spread on baking sheet and put in oven for 30 minutes, stir halfway through at 15 minutes 

5. While baking, mix the chopped nuts with the 2 tablespoons of wet mixture you set aside

6. Remove tray from oven and add chopped nuts to oat mixture and put bak in the oven for 12-15 minutes

7. In the meantime, chop the dates. I put mine in a food processor but chopping by hand is of course fine!

8. When time is up, remove oats from oven and add in chopped dates and let sit until cool. Mixture will be wet, but will harden with time.

9. Store in an air tight container in the fridge! 

Now you have a mapley, pumpkiny fall filled granola to have in yogurts, as cereal or as a snack!