Go Back
Sheet pan filled with brown butter pecan granola

Brown Butter Pecan Granola

Yield: 20 (1/4 cup) Servings (Makes 5 cups)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (113 g) salted butter
  • ¼ cup (53 g) dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (85 g) honey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (60 g) pecans
  • 2 cups (200 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ½ cup (60-80 g) raw or sprouted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • ½ cup (43 g) unsweetened or sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, optional
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
  • ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries, optional

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Over medium heat, melt the butter in a stainless steel skillet or saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until the butter foams and then browns, 5-6 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn't burn. You just want the itty bitty solids that separate from the butter to turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Set aside.
  • In a food processor or high-powered blender, pulse the pecans until finely ground. The texture should be a coarse powder with maybe a few larger pieces here and there.
  • In a large bowl, combine the pecans, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut, orange zest (if using), cinnamon and salt. Pour the brown butter syrup mixture over the top and stir to combine evenly.
  • Spread the granola into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until the granola smells fragrant and is a nicely toasted golden color. The granola will look wet as you stir and might even look a bit wet coming out of the oven. It will dry as it cools.
  • Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. Crumble into pieces and stir in cranberries, if using. Store in an airtight container at room temperature (it will keep well for 1-2 weeks).

Notes

Substitutions: as with most granola recipes, I suspect this recipe will fare well to adaptations. Feel free to play around with the ingredients! I don't always add the orange zest, but it is very tasty (especially with the cranberries).