Love and Olive Oil

Toasted Almond & Chocolate Granola

Toasted Almond & Chocolate Granola

Is this breakfast? Or dessert? Or a salty sweet afternoon snack?

I’d argue all of the above.

This chocolate granola is sweet, but not too sweet to be eaten at sunrise with a dollop of vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit. It’s hearty, but decadent enough to sprinkle over vanilla ice cream. And it’s perfect by the handful when you just need a bit of a boost during the afternoon lull.

Toasted Almond & Chocolate Granola

The recipe was inspired by a Trader Joe’s product, although I have to say my addition of chocolate chips was nothing short of brilliant: they’re added at the very end when the granola is just barely warm so they soften and stick into globs of granola gold (believe me, you’ll find yourself digging for the chocolate globs like they were marshmallows in Lucky Charms).

The cocoa powder brings a rich chocolate flavor to the granola without added heaviness, and like my go-to granola (a recipe you can find in our book, where we use it in our chewy granola cookies) it’s sweetened with nothing more than a little honey.

I also swapped out the vegetable oil here for coconut oil, which brings an added nuttiness, but not (for you coconut haters) a heavy coconut flavor. It’s the chocolate and almond that take center stage here, with the oats, honey, and coconut simply along for the ride.

Toasted Almond & Chocolate Granola

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa nibs
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray lightly with cooking spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, coconut, almonds, cocoa nibs, and salt.
  3. In a heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup, microwave honey and oil on high power until mixture is hot and bubbling, about 45 seconds. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Pour over dry ingredients and toss to coat.
  4. Spread granola onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until granola is fragrant no longer sticky, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool, stirring occasionally to break up the large pieces, for about 20 minutes. When granola is just barely warm, stir in chocolate chips. You want the chips to soften ever so slightly so they “stick” to some of the granola, but not melt completely. Granola will keep, stored in an airtight container, for up to 4 weeks.

Adapted from our book, Breakfast for Dinner.

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44 Comments

  1. This is by far the best granola recipe!!!

  2. Finding this granola was recipe was like finding a pot of gold, food wise! Chocolate, almonds, and coconut?!?!?! What could be better. This is my go-to recipe for granola! Has made for great gifts, too! Thank you so much!!!!

  3. I made this a while ago…and LOVED it…I just put another batch in the oven; I doubt it will even be around in 4 weeks… so good!

  4. Wow! You hit my favorites…chocolate almonds coconut oats. DELICIOUS! Next time will bake only 20 minutes. I baked 25 and it came out with very slightly burnt flavor. So good!

  5. I made this last year & gave it away as Xmas gifts to neighbors & coworkers. It was such a hit I’ve had requests to make it again this year. Take my advise; go ahead & just make a double batch. :)

  6. This is my hubby’s favorite granola! He was wary at first, but now requests it for morning parfaits.

  7. I’ve tried a few chocolate almond granola recipes from the web and yours is by far, the best. I’ve been sprinkling 1/2 c. over vanilla yogurt as a post-workout snack and it is SO satisfying. I will never buy store-bought granola as long as I have recipes like this. Thank you!

  8. Hi Lindsay,
    Can you recommend a specific brand/type of coconut oil?  
    Thanks!

  9. I made a triple batch of this to give as Christmas gifts, & I’m glad I made so much, because I’m totally keeping some for myself. So good & so easy! I know my friends & neighbors are gonna love it. Thx!!

    • PS; I couldn’t find cocoa nibs, so I just left them out, but I added some chopped hazelnuts for added crunch & depth of flavor.

  10. I made this today & It’s delicious! Thanks for the recipe!

  11. This looks delicious but, if you don’t mind my asking, what are ‘chocolate nibs’? Thanks!

    • Sorry, cocoa nibs! What are those?

    • Cocoa nibs/cacao nibs are basically pieces of cacao beans (the beans used to make chocolate) that have been roasted and processed. Basically what chocolate is before it is ground and turned into chocolate. You can often find them at health/specialty food stores, whole foods, or online.

  12. I turned these into granola bars and they were AWESOME (http://www.floatingkitchen.net/chocolate-almond-granola-bars/). Thanks so much for sharing Lindsay!

  13. This looks like a lovely snack…I’m always picking. I graze throughout the day and this is exactly the sort of food I’d look forward to picking! I picked up some vegan chocolate atVegfest  today, that s flavoured in coconut and some in strawberries and cream…wonder if they will work? X

  14. Oh my, that looks delicious! I can imagine the milk of choice would go a lovely cocoa colour and taste just as good as the granola. Saving!

  15. I made it! And it’s so YUM! Even my four year old daughter adores it! You are so right about dunking for choc blobs.. They are the fun bits. This recipe is definately a keeper. Thanks :) 

  16. Do you have to use the Cocoa nibs? What are they and where do I find them? (I live in Michigan). Thanks!

    • They are optional but add a nice chocolate flavor and crunch. Whole Foods has them, I know that. Scharffenberger brand does include them in their line if there are stores near you that carry their products. And there’s always online! :)

  17. I’m so excited to have come across this recipe.  My hubby has been on an oatmeal binge, and me…well –  I just eat chocolate all the time.  Perfect combination for us.  Thanks a lot! :)

  18. I just bought the ingredients for this recipe. I finally found the cocoa nibs then read the directions only find they are not mentioned. When do you add these to the mix?

  19. I’m a total advocate of chocolate for breakfast in any form and this looks right up my street. 

  20. Yum.  What doesn’t taste better when you add chocolate?  This looks great.

  21. I like globbing and chocolate, so this is totally my kinda dealio!!

  22. Totally in love with all the flavors here!! YUM!

  23. In. Love. 

  24. This is the second chocolate granola recipe I have tried to make with no avail.  Both recipes are similar, and I have followed them exactly…and neither times did the chocolate coat the oat mixture.  It just globs up.  I don’t understand what is going on.

    • What part  is globbing? The cocoa powder is mixed in with the warm honey mixture and that coats  the granola very nicely. The chips added at the end just soften enough to stick, but they’re not supposed to fully melt and stay whole for the most part.  Is that what you are referring to? Also, be sure to stir the granola as it cools so it doesn’t solidify into one big chunk.

    • It’s the cocoa honey mixture that globs up when I mix it into the oat mixture.  The other recipe I used last time did the same thing, only it had brown sugar and was not heated.
      So I’m not quite for sure what I’m doing wrong. :(

    • That is very strange. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written? Did you heat the honey mixture until it was bubbling? It should still be hot when you pour it over the oats. I pour it over the oats in a large bowl, then fold it with a spatula or wooden spoon until the oats are evenly coated. It is quite sticky at this point, but just keep stirring and folding and it’ll get evenly coated eventually, then spread it onto the baking sheet. It’ll dry out as it bakes.

      Have you ever made a regular granola recipe? This one should be no different, the chocolate doesn’t affect the texture at all.

  25. Mmmm, I love granola and this version looks perfect!!

  26. This is such a fun idea!! Yum!

  27. Oh yum yum yum! I can always count on you for the most amazing recipes! This is a must for me to try asap!

  28. Hello, delicious!  This granola looks absolutely perfect!

  29. I love a good chocolate granola. It is a hearty, sweet treat for sure!

  30. I just recently discovered how yummy and easy homemade granola is… thanks for the recipe!!

  31. I can have these granola as breakfast, dessert, or a afternoon snack. Scrumptious.

  32. So indulgent! Homemade granola is the best! I can’t wait to add some chocolate granola to our rotation! 

  33. O.
    M.
    G.

  34. Oh, my heavens… Lindsay, your chocolate almond granola looks divine. Love the analogy… “…you’ll find yourself digging for the chocolate globs like they were marshmallows in Lucky Charms.” Yep. That would be me! Thanks for sharing!

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