Going Granola

If budget played no role in the formulating of my grocery lists, I think I would like to start shopping strictly at Whole foods and eating flax seed and almond butter and Greek yogurt and what not. But that is not what this post is about. I am not "going granola." This is actually a post about a homemade granola recipe that I tried, loved, and used for my homemade Christmas gifts.

I have never been a "granola muncher" (Urban Dictionary: someone who enjoys hiking on nature trails and bird watching. / Me: someone who likes granola) until I met Groovy Foods Granola at the Memphis Farmer's Market. At first, I would just grab a little sample bag each time I passed the booth... but then I started craving it... and it isn't cheap. While I still think Groovy Foods is better than this recipe I am about to post, and I know the ingredients they use are WAYYYY healthier (think safflower oil, cane juice crystals (?), brown rice syrup (?!?!), and carob)... I would argue that my granola achieves a flavor that is somewhat close... the key is salt. Try it out and see for yourself!
P.S. All of the ingredients for mine were purchased at Aldi (discount grocery store)... so it was super-duper cheap when I made it in bulk for Christmas gifts

French Chocolate Granola
(adapted from recipe by Orangette)

3 cups rolled oats
½ cup almonds, chopped (I used slivered b/c they are cheaper)
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt (to taste- but I like the salty and sweet flavor so I used about 1 Tbsp.)
6 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup, or more, finely chopped dark or bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well to blend.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally – watch out! the oil will want to splash - until the honey is loose. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well. I added the cranberries and cooked them with the granola.

Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden. Set a timer to go off halfway through the baking time, so that you can give the granola a good stir; this helps it to cook evenly. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well – this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet – and cool completely. While still warm, I put about 1/2 of the chocolate on top and stir it all up... this gave the granola kind of a chocolate coating that I thought was nice... but you don't have to do that.

When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl, storage jar, or zipper-lock plastic bag. Add the rest of the chocolate chocolate, and stir (or shake, if using a jar or bag) to mix.

Notes: I substituted Molasses for 3 Tbsp. of the honey in one batch (b/c I ran out of honey) and it was delightful... try it if you have Molasses around.

Don't be shy to add more sugar and salt if needed. I played around with this, tasting it periodically to get the right flavor.

This stuff can be used at breakfast, but also makes an awesome dessert. Put it on top of ice cream and you will be in heaven.