Christmas Granola Trail Mix Recipe

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As the holiday season approaches, we’re excited to share this delightful Christmas Granola Trail Mix Recipe—a treat for your taste buds and a heartwarming homemade gift.

Combining the richness of granola with festive flavors, this recipe will surely add sparkle to your Christmas celebrations. Let’s dive into the joy of making this special treat!

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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we suggest reading the entire blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.

Christmas Granola Trail Mix Recipe

Made with wholesome oats, sweet cranberries, and a mix of warm spices and fragrant vanilla extract, this homemade granola is combined with mini red velvet cookies and chocolate candies for an irresistible treat for the holiday season.

Or you could serve the holiday granola with milk or some creamy Greek yogurt for a festive breakfast on Christmas morning.

Making a bowl of this Christmas granola trail mix recipe is a wonderful way to spend some time in the kitchen, and the aroma of the granola and cookies baking will fill the air with warmth that is quintessentially Christmas.

Why not try our other yummy holiday recipes like Copycat Christmas Lofthouse Sugar Cookies, Peppermint Bark Fudge, Candied Orange Peels, and Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles?

All these recipes and the Christmas granola trail mix make great homemade food gifts and are a perfect way to spread a little holiday cheer! Pack them in cute little jars or cellophane bags, and tie them up with ribbon.

This trail mix is a perfect recipe to make with the kids at this time of year! They can get involved with mixing different ingredients, helping to roll dough, and cutting out the cookies.

They can then leave a small bowl out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve!

Making Christmas Granola Trail Mix, Step-by-Step!

If you want the quick printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post to print it out. But for all the tips, keep reading!

Number of Servings: 12
Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Step 1 – Gather Your Ingredients:

You may have some of the standard ingredients for this Christmas granola trail mix recipe.

The ingredients and tools in this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers like Amazon or Amazon Fresh.

• Chilled & Dairy – Unsalted Butter, Large Eggs
• Pantry – Vegetable Oil, Kosher Salt
• Honey – Try to buy locally produced honey when possible. If you don’t like honey, substitute for Pure Maple Syrup.
• Light Brown Sugar
• Pure Vanilla Extract – Always buy good vanilla; it makes a flavor difference.
• Ground Cinnamon
• Rolled Oats
• White Granulated Sugar
• Baking Soda – also known as Bicarbonate of Soda.
• Cornstarch – also known as Cornflour.
• All-Purpose Flour – also known as Plain Flour.

There are a few more specialized ingredients:

• Cake Flour – a finely milled flour with lower protein content and less gluten.
  • It is lighter and softer than all-purpose flour. Using it in cookies makes them softer, fluffier, and more cake-like.
  • You can make your own cake flour by measuring 1 leveled cup of all-purpose (plain flour), removing 2 tablespoons, and adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (cornflour). Sift well before using.
• Dried Cranberries
• Chopped Pecans
• Super Red Food Coloring
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Christmas M&Ms
• Mini Marshmallows
• Crushed Candy Canes – You can buy these ready crushed, but if you can’t source them, simply place some candy canes into a food bag and smash them into small pieces with a rolling pin or mallet.

The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 2 – Cooking Equipment:

You may have the tools you need to make the Christmas granola recipe and red velvet cookies, which include:

• Baking/Cookie Sheet
• Parchment Paper – also known as baking paper or greaseproof paper.
• Mixing Bowls
• Rubber/Silicone Spatula – or you could use a Wooden Spoon.
• Electric Mixer – either a handheld or standing mixer for making red velvet cookie dough.
• Fine Mesh Sieve – or Sifter to sift flour and other dry ingredients.
• Plastic Wrap
• Rolling Pin
• Round Cookie Cutter – you will need a 1 or 2-inch cutter.
• Wire Cooling Rack – Allowing the cookies to cool before adding to the trail mix is important. Using a cooling rack allows air to circulate around them.
• Large Bowl – for serving your Christmas granola trail mix!

The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).

Step 3 – Preheat and Prep:

Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C/Gas 3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Step 4 – Make Granola:

Place the honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon into a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Stir in the oats, cranberries, and pecans to coat, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet.

Step 5 – Bake Granola:

Spread the granola mixture into an even layer on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool, then break into chunks.

Step 6 – Mix Wet Cookie Ingredients:

Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add one egg at a time, beating together between each one. Then, add the vanilla and red food coloring and mix on low speed until combined.

Step 7 – Mix Dry Cookie Ingredients:

Sift or whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt into a separate large bowl to combine. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir.

Then, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture at low speed. Continue mixing until a soft dough forms.

TIP! Mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately, then combining them, ensures that everything is evenly mixed and that the dough doesn’t get overworked, leading to tough cookies—and nobody wants that!

Step 8 – Chill Cookie Dough:

Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.

TIP! The colder the cookie dough, the less likely it will spread when baking and yields a nicer texture.

Step 9 – Preheat and Prep:

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Step 10 – Cut Cookies:

Dust surface and rolling pin with flour, and roll the cookie dough to ½”/1cm thick.

Cut 24 circles from the dough with a small (1-2″/3-5cm) cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared cookie sheet.

TIP! You can make shaped cookies if you like – small stars would look so cute for Christmas time!

Step 11 – Bake Cookies:

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, then let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 12 – Assemble Christmas Trail Mix:

Place the cooled granola chunks, cooled red velvet cookies, M&Ms, chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, and mini marshmallows into a large mixing bowl.

Toss all the ingredients together using a large spoon. Serve, enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Granola Mixture Variations

Homemade granola is easy to make and customize to your personal tastes, and unlike store-bought granola, you know exactly what goes into the mix!

Here are some ideas to try:

• For a tropical Christmas flair, switch to coconut oil and add coconut flakes and dried fruit like mango or apricots.
• Add pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for extra crunch.
• Mix in macadamia nuts for a richer flavor.
• For gingerbread flavor, include gingerbread spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice) and a dash of orange zest.

Storing Leftovers & Freezing

• Storing Leftovers:
  • Store the trail mix in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
• Freezing Instructions:
  • The trail mix is unsuitable for freezing when assembled, but you can freeze the red velvet cookies.
  • Place the cooled baked cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
  • When frozen, wrap the cookies in plastic wrap and foil, or transfer the cookies to an airtight, freezer-safe container, with a piece of parchment between each one.
  • Alternatively, lay flat inside a freezer-safe food bag, squeezing out excess air. You can then stack the bags in your freezer.
  • Label with the dish’s name, thawing/reheating instructions, and the date to keep track of your food storage.
  • Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw cookies at room temperature for a couple of hours.
  • You can also freeze the cookie dough in portions! Cook from frozen, but add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
• With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
• You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).

Printable Christmas Granola Trail Mix Recipe Card

Below is the printable recipe card. To save ink, any demonstration photos on the recipe card are not printed out.

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Christmas Granola Trail Mix

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Celebrate the season's joy with our Christmas Granola Trail Mix—a delightful mix of granola, cranberries, and red velvet cookies, making it the perfect holiday treat.

Print

Ingredients

For the Granola

• ⅓ cup honey
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For the Red Velvet Cookies:

• 2 sticks (225g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp super red food coloring
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1½ cup mini white chocolate chips

For the Trail Mix

• Christmas M&Ms
• Crushed Candy Canes
• Mini Chocolate Chips
• Mini Marshmallows

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C/Gas 3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
2. Place the honey, oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the oats, cranberries, and pecans to coat, then transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet.
3. Spread the granola mixture into an even layer on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside to cool, then break into chunks.
4. Using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating together between each one. Then, add the vanilla and red food coloring and mix on low speed until combined.
5. Sift or whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt into a separate large bowl to combine. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir. Then, slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture at low speed. Continue mixing until a soft dough forms.
6. Cover the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
8. Dust your surface and rolling pin with flour, and roll the cookie dough to ½"/1cm thick. Cut 24 circles from the dough with a small (1-2"/3-5cm) cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared cookie sheet.
9. Bake cookies for 10 minutes, then let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Place the cooled granola chunks, cooled red velvet cookies, M&Ms, chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, and mini marshmallows into a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!

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Christmas Dinner Party Menu Suggestions

You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:

• Appetizer: Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
• Soup: 30-Minute Instant Pot Tomato Soup
• Salad: Crunchy Apple Celery Salad with Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette
• Main Dish: Roasted Italian Sausages with Tomatoes and White Beans
• Side Dish: Polenta 3 Ways
• Beverage: Classic Negroni Cocktail

The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.

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