If you’re still finding leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce in your fridge, I’ve got you covered with a simple recipe for the sweet and salty snack lover in you. I recently shared the recipe for these Bacon Wrapped Cranberry Jalapeño Poppers, which I’ve made for the last two weekends of football watching. And today, we’re adding a huge batch of Cranberry Pistachio Granola to the leftover cranberry sauce recipe collection.
Cranberry sauce in granola? Trust me on this one. The cranberry sauce gives this granola an extra boost of tangy and sweet flavor that bakes right into the oats. Also in the mix are toasty pistachios, dried cranberries for a more concentrated pop of flavor, and white chocolate chips. Customize this granola as you wish, using your favorite type of chocolate and nuts!
And since the mad rush of gift giving season is underway, I’m going to show you how to turn this granola into a fun little foodie gift for your friends and family. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 swatch of burlap (5.5 in x 5.5 in)
- Scissors and hole punch
- 1 mason jar with lid
- Holiday ribbon (at least 1.5 cm wide)
- Gift tags (see link to printable below!)
- Mini ornaments
- Artificial winter greenery (optional)
I purchased the burlap, ribbon, and ornaments from JoAnn Fabric, and I found the mason jars at the Dollar Store. I think all the materials came in under $5. Check the JoAnn Fabric site for coupons!
Step 1: The jar cover. Pop the lid off the mason jar, and remove the inner round plate. Cover the plate with one burlap square, and place the covered plate back into the lid. Then, secure the entire lid back on the jar.
Step 2. The gift tag. Cut a 12-inch long piece of ribbon. Grab a gift tag (see link to printable below!) and punch a hole in the top corner of the tag. Bring the 2 ends of the ribbon together and slide them through the hole from the back of the tag. Tie a mini ornament around the punched hole.
Step 3. Assembly. Wrap the ribbon and tag around the jar lid, pulling the ends of the ribbon tight to secure. If this gift will be handled a lot (think: packed into a box, carried to and from the car, possible shaked by kids), then I’d suggest tying the ribbon in a knot for extra security. Optional: Cut a small piece of greenery and secure it under the ribbon.
There you have it! In 3 simple steps, you’ve decorated a lovely, festive jar to gift this Cranberry Pistachio Granola or any other type of foodie treasure to friends, family, and coworkers! Download the gift tag printable here!
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- ¾ cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon all spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cranberry sauce
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, pistachios, cinnamon, all spice and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, oil, and maple syrup.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Using a large spoon or spatula, stir the mixture until the oats and pistachios are evenly coated. Spread the granola mixture out evenly on a large nonstick baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Check on the granola every 10 minutes and give it a quick stir with a large spoon.* Granola is ready when it reaches a golden brown color.
- When the granola is out of the oven and still on the baking sheet, pour the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries over the granola.** The white chocolate chips may melt a bit, but this is ok because it will help clusters to form. Let the granola cool before serving.
**Once out the oven, the granola may seem a bit damp still. As you let the granola cool, it will dry out.
Serving size: ⅓ cup
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 120 Fat: 6.5g Carb: 13.7g Fiber: 1.8g Protein: 2.6g Sugar 5.8g Sodium: 46mg
Hi! I'm Krista, a self-proclaimed vegetable lover who likes to put a creative spin on healthy cooking. Here you'll find a variety of lightened up recipes using fresh and wholesome ingredients! 
The last time I tried to make granola, I set the oatmeal on fire. Thank you for walking me through the process in a manner in which no disasters were had! Big plus, is that this granola is AMAZINGLY good. Do you have a pumpkin granola recipe so that I can use up the rest of my fresh, frozen pumpkin from Thanksgiving??
Hi Karen! So awesome to hear! It takes a round or two to get the hang of the process, but once you do, you’ll want to make it all the time! I have a Pumpkin Spice Granola recipe, but it doesn’t use actual pumpkin, just pumpkin spice. You could check out these 10 cozy pumpkin recipes for some other ideas! Thanks so much for the sweet comment! Happy you avoided a fire this time around 🙂
Love this recipe! I substitute almonds, I just like tbeir flavor. I make this granola year round.
Yay! Homemade granola is so fun to make and it makes your house smell amazing. Love the substitution of almonds!