Winter Granola Bowls

Almonds, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and apricots help to flavour and bulk up homemade granola. Baked with maple syrup and butter, and seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, these Winter Granola Bowls are healthy, warming, and filling too!

What if I told you that you could make a batch of homemade granola weeks in advance and save yourself all the time in the world putting together a delicious breakfast on Christmas morning!? Honestly, Dear Reader, all you would have to do is buy some yogurt and breakfast is ready! Prepared with holiday spices, you will be craving these Winter Granola Bowls long after Christmas is over.

I have been on a yogurt kick for about two months now. It all started when I made my Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits. Almost every morning, I eat a bowl of Greek yogurt with berries and granola. Most of the time, I use store-bought granola. If you’re at all interested, it’s the PC Organic Honey Almond. It has just the right amount of sweetness and lots of crunch. The really great thing about this parfait recipe is that you can use whatever granola you like. In fact, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can simply make your own. I would highly encourage you to make this wintery, Christmas granola!

In addition to the homemade granola, I stirred in a little bit of my Christmas Jam. I shared my Spiced Christmas Jam last year and it was a huge hit! Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves come together to create a warm and cozy holiday flavour in my Spiced Christmas Jam recipe. Made with strawberries and cranberries, this jam is both sweet and tart with a warming and comforting hint of seasonal spice.

You don’t have to make a batch of jam to make these Winter Granola Bowls, but if you do, you won’t be disappointed. Not only will you have a batch of granola that will last a couple of months and make many, many breakfasts and snacks, but you will also have a pantry stocked with the most delicious jam you’ve ever eaten. Of course, you can buy your favourite jam and use that as well.

I’m going to tell you all about this breakfast recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to review the other Christmas recipes I have shared this holiday season. The last week of October, I finished up my first holiday recipe series for this year, called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Donuts. Then, I shared Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Appetizers. Just last week, I shared the last recipe in my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas series. I still can’t believe that was Volume 6 of that series!

And now, with Christmas just a short time away, I’m kicking off this next series called Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts!

HOW TO PUT YOUR SPICED CHRISTMAS JAM TO GOOD USE

The most obvious way is on toast, right? But, there are so many other ways to use jam. I’m just putting this out there in case you’re concerned with having 10 jars of Spiced Christmas Jam on hand at once! You can stir jam into plain yogurt to cut the tanginess. It creates quite a nice little dessert. Add some to your French toast mix. Try my baked bagel French toast with some jam dolloped into the dish! This would make a lovely Christmas morning breakfast!

Have you ever tried a sweet grilled cheese? Tuck some sliced brie between two slices of bread with some jam a few fresh thyme leaves. Don’t forget to season with some ground black pepper! If you’re planning to make any thumbprint cookies this holiday season, this jam would be absolute perfection to fill those centers! Oh, you could make a layer cake! My jam-filled vanilla layer cake is out of this world!

But, you don’t need to run out and plan all of these ideas. Remember, this jam is good for at least a year in your pantry. So, you can save them all for yourself, or you can package the jars up with a fresh baguette, a package of crackers, a wedge or two of good sharp cheese, and maybe some olives or nuts! Who wouldn’t want to receive a gift like that!?

LORD BYRON’S 12 CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST SERIES

Another holiday series, Lord Byron? Yes – why not!? Welcome, Dear Reader, to the fourth of my annual holiday recipe series for this season! I’m calling this one Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfasts. This series will focus on easy-to-make and some make-ahead breakfasts that are both delicious and festive.

I will try to keep the recipes in this series quick and easy too. Most of them will require some baking, but they won’t be too complex that you can’t whip them up on Christmas morning, especially if you’re an early riser. Some are just assembly-type recipes, while others can be prepared in advance.

Just like every other holiday series that I’ve shared over the years, this series will see a new recipe shared every day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW SO THAT YOU NEVER MISS OUT ON NEW RECIPES!

So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Christmas Breakfast series! Even though this is the third series for this holiday season, you can always take a look back at previous years if you just cannot wait until the next recipe is published. Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! Like in previous holiday recipe countdowns, I like to mix up the recipes in the series so that there is something for everyone. Are you ready!!??

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

To Make the Syrup Mixture

• Honey – I don’t like to use good or fancy honey when baking or cooking. Stick to the cheap stuff and save your good honey for tea or drizzling.
• Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter here. It won’t make any difference at all.
• Maple Syrup – This will add flavour and help with stickiness. Granola should be clumpy, after all.
• Brown Sugar – For sweetness and caramelization.
• Extracts – I’m using both vanilla and almond. You can use all vanilla, but I would not use all almond extract. It will overpower every other flavour.
• Salt

Dry Ingredients and Spices

• Oats – Be sure to use quick-cook rolled oats.
• Spices – You will need ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and allspice.
• Seeds and Nuts – All of these are roasted and unsalted – almonds, cashews, pecans, and pumpkin seeds.
• Dried Fruit – I’m using diced dried apricots and dried pitted cranberries.

HOW TO MAKE WINTER GRANOLA BOWLS

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly coat two baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Next, add the following ingredients to a saucepan: honey, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla and almond extract, and salt. Over low heat, cook and gently whisk continuously until the butter is melted and the brown sugar has dissolved. The mixture should be very smooth and silky. Do not overheat or boil. Be patient and keep the heat low. Once done, remove the mixture from the heat.

Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl: quick-cook rolled oats, pecans, cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. Toss these well to mix. Pour the sauce mixture into the large mixing bowl as well. Stir well until everything is coated and combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheets and place in your preheated oven for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir the granola mixture and rotate the baking sheets.

Once golden brown, remove the granola from the oven and let it rest and cool to room temperature for 20 minutes. Divide the cranberries and apricots among the two baking sheets and stir in to combine. Once fully cooled, the granola can be stored in a food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Store at room temperature.

To assemble the Winter Granola Bowls, spoon the desired amount of Greek yogurt into a bowl. Swirl some of the Christmas Jam through the yogurt. Spoon in the desired amount of granola and drizzle with a little bit of honey.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!