Gingerbread Granola

Someone asked me the other day if I am ready for the holidays.  WHAT??  Ready for the holidays?  I can't even fathom the idea yet.  It's WAY too soon.

(Unbaked)

But here is an idea that kind of begins my venture into holiday cooking.  It began as Pumpkin Granola and morphed into a more unique version.  Haven't we all experienced a lot of pumpkin at this point in the season?  Time to move on . . . and maybe, just maybe, begin to think about the holidays.

 (Baked)

It's not that I don't like pumpkin, really.

Gingerbread Granola

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup unsweetened flake coconut
1/2 cup seedless raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat a large baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick spray; set aside.  In large mixing bowl, stir together applesauce, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Add brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in oats, pecans, and coconut.

Spread oat mixture on prepared pan.  Bake 20 minutes, remove from oven to stir, and bake 15 to 20 minutes more.  Watch carefully at end the so as not to burn granola.  Stir in raisins.  Makes 7 cups total, 21 (1/3-cup) servings with 4 Weight Watchers points plus each or 167 calories.