I'm dreaming about ...

Chocolate Granola!

As soon as I saw this recipe,  http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/12/cinnamon-bun-granola-recipe-halloween-treat-a-thon/, I knew what I needed to do.  I needed to try to make a chocolate version.

Here's what I did:

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup  raw buckwheat groats
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
4 dates, pitted
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup raw cocoa
5 tablespoons water
2 tsp  vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300F.

 In a mixing bowl, combine  the dry ingredients (oats, buckwheat, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, (anything else you want, and salt).

In your blender, blend the maple syrup, dates, oil, water and vanilla extract into a smooth sauce.  Because of all the water, it will be thin.  

Mix the sauce into the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are well coated.  There may be a little liquid in the mixture.  If you think it's "too wet" add a little more oatmeal.  (I left the extra liquid in and most of it was gone by 20 minutes of baking.)  (I'm thinking of adding more dates and less maple syrup next time to make the sauce thicker.  I'll update this if I do.)

Spoon the mixture on to a baking tray lined with a silicone liner (or parchment paper).  Make sure to spread into a thin, even layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, carefully stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Allow to cool before breaking into clusters (if needed).

My notes:

YUM!

I didn't use coconut oil 'cause I'm not fond of coconut flavor, but if you do like it, I imagine it would add a nice dimension to the recipe.  In addition, I lowered the oil content--I only used 1 tablespoon of oil instead of 2.  I might play around with decreasing the oil a bit more.

I love having a recipe with buckwheat in it!  Remember, I tried this recipe and wasn't crazy about it?  I am crazy about this one! I'll definitely be making it again!   (Three exclamation points in 4 sentences means I'm excited.)

I added pumpkin seeds but I'm going to keep playing around with different seeds/goodies in it.  For example, I might add sunflower seeds next time and / or flax.

Since our discovery of Love Crunch Cereal, I've wanted to make a chocolate granola.  I'm so excited to have a start on a recipe!  I'll play around a bit more, but yay, I have a decent recipe!  As it is, at least 3 of us are addicted to the recipe as is. Here's a picture with freeze-dried strawberries and chocolate chunks (just like Love Crunch).


(Sorry, bad photo from the iPhone... Is a bad photo better than no photo?)

 

Thank you, Oh She Glows and tiny treats for the original recipe! (I am thinking about buying the cookbook to see more!)