It is the end of the year and I have grown to love making granola as gifts. My daughter’s teachers have raved about it, while honestly I thought it was, ok. I came up with this one and several random people just happened to be over and I gave them a small sample. ” Wow, this is good” one said. “Oh my, it tastes just like blueberry pie!” said another. I asked my husband to “sample” it not realizing it was for gifts he said he ate a bowl full with milk. *sighs* that is ok, I had just enough for 3 jars for 3 special teachers that impacted and made a difference in my little girls life. They made a difference in mine too! I looked online for sample recipes and the only one Blueberry Pie Granola I found I did not have the ingredients to make, so here is what I came up with:

7c of gluten free oats
1c of unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 c of slivered almonds
1T of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of allspice and nutmeg
1/8 tsp of clove and ginger
3T of vanilla powder (we use powder because most extracts have corn in them and we are corn-free. However you can use equal parts of vanilla extract in the liquids below)

Mix the above in a large bowl. If using extract add to liquid ingredients in a separate bowl:

1/4 c of brown rice syrup
1/3 c of vanilla flavored agave
(add extract here if using extract)

Add liquid ingredients to dry above and mix well. Add 1/2 c of maple sugar, yes maple sugar, although you can use equal parts brown sugar, my goal for this recipe was to be free of refined sugars. Coat the maple sugar onto the mixed granola. Sprinkle on a little more if you desire.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread evenly onto two cookie sheets and bake for 30-40 minuted depending how dark you like your granola. Add a 12 oz bag of dried blueberries after getting out of the oven. Cool and enjoy!

Here are the gifts I made. I bought three jars from the Container Store and puffy sticker letters and cute ruler ribbon from Joanne Fabrics. I stuck their initials on one side, the used the letters A, B and C to the other three sides. I wrapped the ribbon into a bow around the top for a cute presentation.