Brown Butter Pumpkin Seed and Espresso Glazed Big Cluster Granola

Oh you guys.

Look what I did.

I made a snacky, breakfasty, healthy item without one ounce of chocolate.

It’s a gosh darn miracle.

But I just kind of felt like with the giant triple layer buckeye cake that happened on Friday maybe it was time for something a little lighter. Something sweet, but still considered a health food.

Something like granola.

Granola with brown butter.

Oh yes, more brown butter. I seriously cannot get enough. For some reason it screams fall to me and geez, if I am being honest here I have been trying to find reasons to brow butter at least once a day just to have the smell in my kitchen. I love the smell of brown butter!

Crazy.

Let’s move on to the the pumpkin seeds.

Oh fudge, I love those too!

But these pumpkin seeds are a little different. They are actually pepitas, shelled pumpkin seeds. They are the perfect thing to throw into granola.

I love good old-fashioned pumpkin seeds all roasted up with some salt and pepper, but for this granola I wanted the pepitas. I love their texture and just like regular pumpkin seeds, they are KILLER all roasted up.

Oh and there is no work involved with these pumpkin seeds. Just cut the bag open and pour.

Easy.

Next comes the espresso.

I love espresso flavored treats and with the warm cinnamon and sweet maple it pairs so well.

Here is the thing about granola.

I like it, but I prefer it to be super crunch and super chunky. I love being able to grab big chunks.

Enter the big clusters.

They are the best. You are gonna love them.

Plain, in yogurt, with cold milk (my favorite) or just by the handful.

It is kind of the perfect snack to break into fall.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Seed and Espresso Glazed Big Cluster Granola

Author: Tieghan Gerard

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Rest 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings: 6 Cups

Calories Per Serving: 822 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups oats
• ▢ 1 cup shredded coconut
• ▢ 1/2 cup raw pecans
• ▢ 1/2 cup pistachios
• ▢ 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds pepitas
• ▢ 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil or 1 more tablespoon butter
• ▢ 3 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 tablespoons honey

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large bowl combine the oats, shredded coconut, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, wheat germ and cranberries. Toss well.
• In a skillet or small sauce pot melt the butter over medium heat until just browned. The butter will melt, foam and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Once the butter is browned quickly remove from the heat and slowly stir in the maple syrup and coconut oil. Sprinkle the espresso powder over top and stir to dissolve. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in the vanilla.
• Pour the warm mixture over the dry oat mixture and stir to fully combine. I normally stir for a good 3 to 5 minutes.
• Spread the granola out on a parchment lined baking sheet with sides and drizzle with 2 tablespoons honey. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes stirring every 15 minutes so the granola will get evenly toasted. The last time you stir the granola drizzle it with the remaining 2 tablespoons honey. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes. After 5 minutes spray the bottom of a flat 1 cup measuring cup or a flat bottomed glass with cooking spray. Press the granola into the pan using the bottom of the measuring cup so that you have a flat slab of granola that looks like they could be cut into bars. Let the granola sit for one hour to cool and harden. After an hour break the granola up into clusters.

View Recipe Comments

So many clusters!