Pumpkin Spice Granola

Ingredients

• 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan, add the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, honey, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set it over medium-low heat, stirring as it warms, and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture is hot and the sugar has melted in.
2. Put the dry oats and sunflower seeds in a large bowl, then pour in the warm pumpkin mixture. Stir thoroughly, scraping down to the bottom, until every bit of oats is coated and you do not see dry oats hiding underneath.
3. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, then spread the oat mixture across them. Bake in the 300 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, until the oats are mostly dried out. Give them a stir at 30 minutes, then stir again at 45 minutes. The baking time depends on how deep the granola is on the pan: on 1 baking sheet, it will be close to an hour, while divided between 2 sheets, it should be around 45 minutes.
4. When the oats are done baking, add the chopped cranberries, stir them through, and then firmly press the granola back down onto the baking sheet while it cools. This little bit of packing encourages the mixture to set into clumps instead of staying all flaky. After it has cooled, transfer it to an air-tight container and keep it for up to a week.