Homemade Granola with Almonds, Mangoes, Cranberries and Pineapple

  This month our food theme is pumpkin, in case you haven't noticed.  So far we've shared recipes for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, and Pumpkin Seed Pesto.  Today, we're continuing on the pumpkin seed path with Homemade Granola with Almonds, Mangoes, Cranberries and Pineapple.  This simple recipe leaves you with a good amount of granola—enough to share!  If you know the kids who are about to trick-or-treat at your door or are throwing a Halloween party, this festive fall colored treat is a perfect alternative to candy.  Or you could be like my mother who shared only a small amount and kept the rest for herself to put on greek yogurt for a mildly healthy snack. We say "mildly" because anything that has this much brown sugar in it shouldn't be considered the most healthy snack.  
  The original recipe we found included dried apricots, but while at the store, we found dried mangoes instead.  As always, feel free to make any substitutions you might want.  We just liked the rich, fall color mixture of red, yellow and orange.  Hope you enjoy this yummy treat!
  And don't forget to keep sending in your recipes that include pecan ingredients!  Check back in November to possibly see your recipe featured here.

Granola with Almonds, Mangoes, Cranberries and Pineapple

from the Kitchn

YEILDS: 10 cups

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 cups rolled oats

2 cups silvered almonds

¾ cup sunflower seeds

¾ cup pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups combined dried cranberries, dried mangoes (chopped), and dried pineapple (chopped)

salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350°F. 

Combine oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Pour butter and sugar mixture over the top of the oat mixture and stir until everything is well coated.  Add a dash of salt, if desired.  (If either of your seeds are salted, you don’t need additional salt.)

Spread the mixture onto a large, rimmed baking sheet (or two, if it’s overflowing).  Bake for about 1 hour, gently stirring and turning every 15 or 20 minutes, until granola is golden brown and toasted.

Transfer granola to a large bowl and, while it is still warm, stir in dried fruit.  Store in an airtight container.  Will keep for a few weeks.