I received a special request for a chocolate granola recipe, and well, kind woman that I am, I tested four different batches of chocolaty goodness to come up with the delicious recipe below. Our neighbor definitely appreciated the overflow.

To note, this recipe is quite forgiving. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your tastes, using whatever “sugars” you desire (agave, brown rice syrup, etc.). Also, you can lower the cocoa powder for more of a subtle hot chocolate taste, or increase it for an intense dark chocolate delight. Just be sure that the oats and cereal are well coated – a little liquid in the form of sweetener, oil, or maybe even applesauce will be required. I do prefer to use some oil, as it helps the granola crisp up, but I’ve gone with the minimum for an overall low fat recipe.

Also, I kept the recipe simple and nut-free, making it back-to-school and nut allergy-friendly. The Uncle Sam cereal does have a good dose of whole flaxseeds, but if you prefer more nut or seed action, feel free to sub some in for part of the cereal and/or oats.

For the chocolate chunks (because what chocolate granola recipe would be complete without chocolate chunks?) I used chopped Attune probiotic chocolate bars (sold next to the yogurt!). To help preserve that friendly bacteria, and to keep the chocolate from melting, the chocolate is added after the granola has completely cooled. But, the probiotics are shelf-stable for up to a month, so this granola can be stored at room temperature. It should stay fresh in a sealed container for about a week, if it lasts that long …

 

Double Dark Chocolate Granola (Lower Fat)

• 2 Cups Rolled Oats
• 2 Cups Uncle Sam Original Cereal (w/flaxseeds)
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (depending on how dark you like it – my husband preferred less, I preferred more)
• 1/8 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 Cup Maple Syrup, Honey, or Agave Nectar
• 1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar (can sub coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice if desired)
• 2 Tablespoons Oil (I used coconut oil)
• 1-1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2/3 to 3/4 Cup Finely Chopped Attune Probiotic Chocolate Bars (3 to 4 Bars – I used the dark chocolate ones – more antioxidants, right?!)

 

1.       Preheat your oven to 250ºF and lightly grease two 9×13 glass baking dishes or line baking sheets with silicone baking mats (I prefer the glass dishes in this recipe).

2.       Combine the oats, cereal, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3.       Place the honey or maple, oil, and sugar in a saucepan, and heat until the sugar is mostly dissolved. For a shortcut, you can heat the wet ingredients in the microwave in 15 second intervals, until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved (just 30 to 45 seconds total).

4.       Stir the vanilla into the liquid ingredients, and pour all over the dry ingredients. Stir to coat.

5.       Spread the granola out in your prepared pans.

6.       Bake for 60 to 90 minutes – this will vary quite a bit on climate (in dry climates my granola crisps up in less than an hour sometimes, on the coast, it can easily take 90 minutes), checking in every 20 to 30 minutes to stir. If using metal pans, check in more often as the granola tends to brown much more quickly. The granola will still be soft when done, but it firms up as it cools.

7.       Once completely cool, stir in the chocolate chunks.

~Makes 4 to 6 servings

Want more probiotic chocolate love? See my super-easy Banana Chocolate Chunk Shake Recipe!

Be well!

Alisa

Check out my latest posts here

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 6th, 2011 at 1:00 AM and is filed under The Company You Keep. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.