Homemade Pumpkin Pie Granola

Although I've been told making your own homemade granola is incredibly easy, I've never tried it until now. Granola is, in fact, really easy to make, and it's fun, too. It's really hard to mess up (unless you overcook it), and it's delicious as a breakfast cereal, stirred into yogurt, used in other recipes, or just eaten out of hand as a snack.

My five-year-old daughter and I recently cooked up a batch after kindergarten. Since it's fall, we decided to make a "pumpkin pie" granola, inspired by the pumpkin pie spice granola we often buy at Trader Joe's. This recipe (cobbled together from a few out on the Web), uses actual pumpkin puree as well as pumpkin pie spice to make it even more delicious and healthy. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already, too.

Here's what you'll need for your granola:

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (or pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkin)
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins

You can also add 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, or walnut pieces (or a combination of all three) if you like.

Here's how you make it:

Preheat your oven to 325º. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray, or line it with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until thoroughly combined.

In another bowl, add the pumpkin, apple sauce, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture over the oats and stir together until everything's combined and the oats are completely coated.

Spread this mixture out onto the baking sheet that you prepared in the first step and put it in the oven. Bake for 15–20 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir the granola to mix things around and even up the cooking. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and cook for another 15–20 minutes, until everything's toasty and golden brown and looks like granola. After you remove the pan from the oven, mix in the cranberries or raisins and the pumpkin seeds/nuts (if using).

Let the granola cool completely, then pack it in an airtight container to store.