Its been almost 4 years since we ditched the overly processed, mainstream bags, boxes & packages. Yet my kids still remember the tastes of some of those things. Cold breakfast cereals in a box have been one of the hardest things to replicate. Sure, I make granola, & yes, we purchase organic brands of boxed cereals occasionally, but they still look wistfully at the colourful, pretty boxes on the shelves at the grocery stores. The wee-est bub often asks for chocolate in oatmeal, a task I’m happy to oblige but only on occasion.
I got up Wednesday morning with the intent of making granola. While I was reviewing the recipe, I had a thought. “Why not add cocoa powder?” It was already sitting on the counter from where I’d just made homemade “Nesquik” & homemade chocolate syrup. So that day, granola & chocolate came together in what is now known by the peanut gallery as “Tastes almost like Cocoa Pebbles” & “That was REALLY good, Mom!”
Chocolate granola will happen again in our house.
And yes. It turns your milk to chocolate milk
Chocolate Granola
5 cups dry oats (I use old fashioned oats, but if it’s your preference, use quick oats)
½ cup sugar more or less to taste (you can also sub more honey if you don’t want to use sugar*)
½ cup honey more or less to taste
1/4 cup packed cocoa powder
½ cup coconut oil
couple dashes salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (or MYO)
Preheat oven to 375°. In a large baking pan (I used a 10×15 Pyrex, but a 9×13 will work as well), spread out the oats. Set aside. In a medium sized saucepan, combine sugar, honey, cocoa powder, oil & salt. Over medium, heat the mixture until sugar & cocoa powder are dissolved. The oil will stay at the top, so don’t fret over that. Stir often, & keep a close eye while it heats. If it gets too hot, it will boil madly & may bubble over the top of the pan.
Once everything is well incorporated & your sugar is dissolved, remove from heat & add vanilla. Stir well. Drizzle your syrup mixture all over the oats. Don’t pour it all in one spot. This will make it harder to incorporate everything. Once you’ve scraped the last bit of the syrup over the oats, stir well. This is not an easy task, but I find stirring, mashing & scraping (with the back of a spoon) to work well. It will take a couple minutes to get everything coated. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as you don’t have any completely dry & untouched by chocolate oats left in the pan.
Pop your baking pan into the oven. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. It is very important to stir every 5 minutes, or the edges of your oats will burn! After 15 minutes, remove from oven. Your oats will still be wet & sticky, but as they cool, they dry out. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Store in an airtight container.
Serve with milk, just so you can watch the milk turn chocolate
*If you use more honey, you’ll likely have to bake it longer. I did when we tried it. Just remember to keep an eye on it, so we don’t burn the oats!
