Pumpkin-Chai Granola

Welp, I’ve done it. I’ve created the most addictive granola, ever. I thought I had done so with the Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola, but I was sorely mistaken. But, really? Did you expect anything less from something with “pumpkin” in the name, from me? As you may have guessed from my ravings about the Pumpkin-Chai Latte I posted on Facebook, this year, chai has joined the ranks of pumpkin in my Fall obsessions category, and, especially the two combined! The warm spices of chai tea are reminiscent of the typical pumpkin pie spices, but… spicier?

There are so many things that I love about this granola: the crunchy clusters (one wouldn’t think that 1/2 a cup of pure pumpkin could yield such a crunchy granola, but, alas! This is by far the crunchiest and most cluster-y granola I have ever made), the maple undertones, the pairing of pecans and pumpkin, the chai tea flavoring… basically, there is not a single thing that I don’t like (okay, maybe I’m not thrilled about how quickly it finds its way into my mouth).

This granola is great with milk, or as a topper to yogurt and ice cream. I’m also thinking of baking it into some cookies or a quick bread (if someone tries this, please let me know the outcome!). Basically, you just need this granola around this Fall season!

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Pumpkin-Chai Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp + 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
• 1 tsp bourbon
• 1 Chai tea bag
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat; set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and stir to combine. Add in the oats and stir to coat, cooking for a few minutes. Pour the spiced oats into a bowl and set aside.
3. In the same pot, add in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, and bourbon. Bring to a simmer and then remove from heat. Add the tea bag into the mixture and make sure it is fully submerged. Place a lid on the pot and allow the tea to steep for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the tea bag from the mixture and discard. Pour the spiced oats and pecans into the wet mixture and stir to combine. Pour the wet granola out onto the lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until dark golden. Allow to fully cool on baking sheet. The granola will get crunchier as it cools. Store in an airtight container.

recipe generously adapted from here