No-Bake Dark Chocolate Granola Bites
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) quick oats
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (43 g) shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- 1 cup sliced or chopped almonds
- 3 tablespoons cacao nibs, optional
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- ¼ cup extra-virgin coconut oil
- ½ cup (128 g) creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (21 g) natural unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- ½ cup (85 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats and salt.
- In a 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add the coconut, almonds and cacao nibs, if using. Toast the ingredients, stirring often to prevent burning, for 5-6 minutes until the aroma is nutty and the coconut and nuts are turning slightly golden. Toss the mixture with the oats.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the honey, coconut oil, peanut butter, vanilla, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop the mixture into tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the little mounds sit for 10 minutes or so until they have cooled and are less sticky.
- Roll the mounds into balls using firm pressure with the palms of your hands.
- Refrigerate the granola bites for 1-2 hours to set up. They can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (or freeze for several months). They taste great out of the refrigerator but are even better if left to sit at room temperature for just a few minutes before eating.
Notes
Almonds: if using whole almonds, be sure they are chopped into fairly small pieces. I've made the mistake of leaving the almonds a tad bit too chunky and it makes the granola mixture more difficult to form into balls that stick together.
Oats: I haven't used regular old-fashioned oats. If you do so, consider pulsing them in a blender or food processor very lightly so they break down just a bit.
Cacao Nibs: if you aren't familiar with cacao nibs, they are basically raw pieces of chocolate that haven't been ground and sweetened yet (they are slightly bitter like cocoa powder).