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Blog #95: My favorite granola mixes are Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Cinnamon Chocolate, Oats and Honey and Vanilla Oats and Honey. There are so many flavors you can try with granola. Today I am going to show you how simple it is to make Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola. Granola is a must have in my home. We add it to parfaits (using coconut whip in place of yogurt), as a snack, topping for açaí bowl and our favorite, served as cereal, with milk. Yet, we run through it within days as most bags are sold in smaller sizes. I do prefer some brands over others, Love Crunch being my absolute favorite.

How to Make Granola

I decided to give it a shot and make some granola. How difficult could it be? This was my opportunity to make granola with milk chocolate chips, as my son prefers this over dark chocolate. After some research I found that you need equal parts oil and syrup. That was simple enough to remember! I started with half cup of coconut oil, half a cup of maple syrup and 1/4 cup of peanut butter and placed these three ingredients in a saucepan until the coconut oil melted and peanut butter became loose. Then I poured the 3 ingredients over 3 cups of oats and mixed well. Next step is to spread it evenly on a cookie sheet. Stick it in the oven for 20 minutes stirring after 10 minutes to make sure everything bakes evenly. The first time time I made it I burnt it! Therefore, make sure your oven is no higher than 300 degrees. Once baked, let it sit for a few minutes. Sprinkle some salt and cinnamon and add the peanuts. After about 10 or so minutes you can mix the granola and add the chocolate chips.

Makes about 6 cups.

Peanut Butter

I used natural peanut butter. Make sure the ingredients are just salt and peanut butter. Some brands may list oil as well. This is fine. Beware of the jars that say natural but contain sugar. Make sure to look at the ingredients even if it says natural. My go to natural peanut butter brands are Teddy, Smuckers and Peter Pan. Natural peanut butter works best as it has a looser consistency and healthier than most peanut butters you may find in store.

Tips

• Use natural peanut butter WITHOUT sugar
• Use milk or dark chocolate chips or chunks
• Feel free to omit the cinnamon. I like to add it for extra flavor and for the health benefits! To name a few it’s full of antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory.
• Feel free to use any nuts, I used peanuts with this recipe but cashews or almonds taste just as good!
• If you like granola chunks, let the granola sit in the pan for at least 10 minutes before mixing to get those extra chunks. If you don’t enjoy the chunks mix granola immediately. Chunks start to form easily as the granola cools down.
• Add the chocolate chips after the granola cools or they will melt!
• I added the peanuts after the granola was done baking. Doing so during the baking process would have burnt the peanuts.
• The granola may look wet when you remove from the oven but that is okay. It will dry up as it cools down.

The Verdict!

The granola was so delicious it did not last 24 hours! I plan to double the recipe next time. It stores well in mason jars or in a plastic bag. These are perfect for gifts presented in a mason jar with ribbon!

I plan to make more variations by omitting the peanut butter and chocolate and adding raisins, almonds and doubling the cinnamon. Sounds so good doesn’t it!

Let me know what you think of this recipe and what is your favorite granola flavor!

Enjoy!