Cocoa granola

October 12-13, 2014

With tea and toast and boxed supermarket cereal, I worked myself back into a breakfast rut these last couple of months. I was just about ready to bake up a batch of my favourite granola recipe when Heidi posted this one on Apples Under My Bed. 

Now it's been years since I've read about chocolate granola on Orangette, and I've even sampled some out and about, but I was wary of extending my well-established chocolate habit to breakfast. But Heidi's recipe is different - it's got the deep roasted flavour of cocoa without the richness of cocoa butter, and offers the freedom to tinker with the sweetness as needed. I appreciated Heidi's recipe notes - it's tempting to over-bake this mixture, but it crisps up while cooling and doesn't need more than 25 minutes in the oven.

I think this granola is at its best with berries and coconut yoghurt, while Heidi recommends teaming it with banana and milk. I might have some other serving suggestions soon, as I've found myself baking two further double batches for friends (and for me too, sure) since the first trial I photographed above.

Cocoa granola
(slightly adapted from Apples Under My Bed)

3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
generous shake of salt
3 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons ground coffee
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat an oven to 160°C. Line a large baking tray with paper.

Gently melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan and set it aside to cool a little.

In a medium-large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, salt, cocoa and coffee.

Whisk the maple syrup and vanilla into the coconut oil. Pour the oil mixture into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the granola onto the baking tray, spreading it out evenly. Bake the granola for 20-25 minutes, stirring it at the 10 minute mark. Be careful no to burn it.

Allow the granola to cool before storing it in an airtight container. Serve it with yoghurt and fruit.