After making this granola, you’ll be laughing at how much you used to spend on it in stores (in between shoving it in your mouth).

You could get really creative with this recipe if you wanted to—I had the urge to add sweetened coconut, dried cranberries and toasted almonds but I wanted to keep it simple since the pumpkin flavour was already added in there. One really nice aspect of making granola at home is the sweetness of it; or lack thereof, depending on how you like it. I find a lot of store-ready granola taste artificial or have too much sugar, so you can adjust the levels of maple syrup depending on what you like.

I adapted this recipe from The Wannabe Chef and I was really pleased with its simplicity. Straight-forward ingredients and easy cooking instructions, turned out to be a really good snack to take in my bag.

This is a little off-topic, but everyday when I walk home I pass by this giant apple tree on someone’s lawn. They never pick the apples and it seems like a such a waste, but I don’t want to just take them from their lawn. I have an inner-battle of whether or not I should steal apples, it’s getting out of hand.

Ingredients

Makes 4-6 bowls granola

• 2 1/2 cups large flake oats
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. pumpkin purée
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. poppy seeds
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the walnuts. The oats should be well coated in the maple-pumpkin mix. Lay out granola on a non-greased baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so the edges don’t burn.

Remove granola from oven and allow to cool completely. Add walnuts and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.