Dark Chocolate Granola + Valentine’s Twist
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 g) rolled oats (not quick)
- 1 cup (170 g) coarsely chopped almonds
- ¾ cup (64 g) sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup (43 g) unsweetened, Dutch-process or dark cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup (71 g) light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil, avocado oil or a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1-2 cups (170 to 340 g) chocolate chips
- Freeze-dried strawberries and vanilla yogurt bites, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line two large (11X17-inches or so) baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, cocoa powder and brown sugar and mix well.
- In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine maple syrup, oil, vanilla and salt.
- Slowly pour the maple syrup mixture over the oatmeal mixture, stirring well. Spread the granola evenly on the two prepared baking sheets.
- Cook for 1 hour, stirring once or twice, until the granola smells fragrant. Add an additional 10-15 minutes if needed to help the granola crisp up a bit.
- Remove the granola from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Stir very lightly if you want to incorporate them a bit into the granola and then walk away. Let the granola rest until the chocolate chips have melted and then cooled, 1-2 hours (you can speed this up by popping the baking sheets into the refrigerator).
- Break the granola into clumps and add freeze-dried strawberries and vanilla yogurt bites, if desired. Store in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
Strawberries: the freeze-dried strawberries and yogurt bites are optional but add a delicious texture and flavor combo to the dark chocolate granola (plus it pretties it up a bit).