Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola
Simple, crunchy, sweet-tooth satisfying Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola. This wholesome recipe is perfect for an afternoon snack or dessert.
Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola, oh how I love thee. So much so that I felt the need to use Title Case for all of you. Lordie. Someone Hold Me Back.
The thing about granola is that it’s a many nuanced, multi-faced… thing. You just never know what you’re gonna get. Is it full of oils? All of the dried fruits (even the ones that are as hard as old shoes)? Three different kinds of peanuts (who in the handbag knew there was more than one)? Or is it just candy masquerading as a healthy snack? (Which I’m not totally against. Girl’s allowed to have cravings. Ya know?)
In my many travels with granola, I’ve learned one thing: It can be whatever you want it to be.
For me, granola’s got to hit up the Big Five Factors:
- Factor #1: delicious, drool-inducing taste
- Factor #2: simple ingredients list
- Factor #3: satisfying, just sa-tis-FYING
- Factor #4: chameleon-like purposefulness (Huh? Well, I mean it can be an awesome snack or an emergency I’m-having-a-crappy-day-save-me pick-me-up)
- Factor #5: easy to make
Friends, this granola’s got all Five Factors. Ohhhhhh man! Go ahead and check those factors off like you’re a boss and gimme a twirl. My Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola (Title Case, you da best) is so many levels of chocolate-y goodness, rolled oat/almond meal/crunchy almond awesomeness and just EVERYTHING.
Best of all, it’s there when you really need it to be. Let’s say, you’re having the King Crappy of Crappy Days… sprinkle 1/4 cup of this granola on top of banana soft serve and BOOM! Your day just turned into the Queen Quixotic of Kwinning Days. Okay, I don’t even know what the fudge ‘kwinning’ is… but at least I got to use quixotic!!! How’s that for magic granola? Not only am I satisfied, I’ve also exercised my vocab. Cue second ‘Ohhhhhh man!’
I love snacking on this granola when I’m Netflix-bingeing doing something wildly productive like saving the world/overanalyzing the pros and cons of baked donuts, wondering what’s better: ‘donuts’ or ‘doughnuts,’ fueling up in the morning for a looooong day, or putting together some care packages for the sisters (hey Mon!).
Regardless of what you’ll be using this granola for (saving the world, satisfying a snack attack, or debating food spelling), you’ll love how easy it is to whip up. First, you turn on the oven. So far, so good. Then, you line that baking sheet like you’ve never lined something so well before.
Grab a large mixing bowl, and get ready to feel really, really good about yourself. You’re gonna toss in rolled oats, chopped almonds, shredded coconut, flaxseed and a pinch of salt. Don’t you just love the sound of those ingredients, all cozied up together in your big, beautiful mixing bowl? I do. They look good together, don’t they?
Stir together all of those harmonious, whole, simple ingredients until you feel like you’ve really made a difference in the world. That’s not asking much, right?
Then, you grab a medium bowl and start mixing up the liquid love. Did I just say what I just said? ? Alright, scratch that. You’re gonna first wipe your memory of what I just said, then, you grab a moderately-sized bowl and add in the following ingredients: almond butter (is there anything better?), melted coconut oil (that smell, tho), cocoa powder (the secret-not-so-secret ingredient), maple syrup and almond extract. Yep, I just said it, ALMOND EXTRACT. Boss. Okay, okay, if you insist, you may use vanilla extract. But, please, do try almond extract one day. It is better than… perhaps something you’d use liquid love for. ?
Whisk those wet ingredients together like a boss. And just try to quell the gasp that forms in your mouth when you see that beautiful liquid chocolate you’ve just made. Day-um.
Then, pour it. Doesn’t that just feel right?
Now mix those world-changing dry ingredients and Willy Wonka-mystifying wet ingredients together. You just feel like a better person, dontcha? Dontcha? (Anyone else hearing Nicole Scherzinger right now?)
Grab that trusty, confidence-lined parchment-lined baking sheet from earlier and pour, then spread your granola out. Create a couple pockets of space between soon-to-be granola clusters, just to let ’em breathe. We all need a little room some time, right? Then, place that sheet quixotically into the oven. Idealism is a good thing!
Bake, sit and dream.
Flip the granola.
Repeat baking, sitting and dreaming.
It’s time. Remove the granola from the oven, with mitts and a big grin on your face. But wait, don’t put oven mitts on your face. Um… Moving on!
Melt the chocolate. YAAAAAS. You can do this one of two ways: use a saucepan, or a microwave. (Gasp! I know, some people won’t go near these things. Some people simply can’t live without one. You do YOU.) But who cares, because the best part is pouring all of that gloriousness onto your granola. Duuuude.
See what I mean?
Now fold and fold until every granola morsel is coated in chocolate. Fold until your entire kitchen/house/dorm room (wow, you’re quite the ambitious one, aren’t ya?) smells like that place Homer J. Simpson dreamt about with chocolate light posts. Heaven, I think they call it.
Spread that granola on a baking sheet, pop it into the freezer and wait. Patiently.
I know. Being patient is hard.
For realsies now, it’s time. Remove your tray from the freezer, put your bib on and get ready to just start eating the entire tray as you pretend to pack some granola away for ‘tomorrow.’ (Yeah, right.)
Then, please, pat yourself on the back. You just made granola. From scratch. Better yet, you just made world-changing, title-case-deserving, five-factor, donut vs. doughnut debate fuel, homemade Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola.
You are boss.
PrintChocolate Almond Coconut Granola
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 6 1/2 cups 1x
Description
Simple, crunchy, sweet-tooth satisfying Chocolate Almond Coconut Granola. This wholesome recipe is perfect for an afternoon snack or dessert.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups rolled, old-fashioned oats
- 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped almonds
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut or coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (vanilla is okay)
Melting Fun Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil or nonstick spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two medium baking sheets with parchment paper or foil (if using foil, coat with nonstick spray). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix together the rolled oats, chopped almonds, coconut, ground flax and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond butter, coconut oil, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Add almond extract and stir until very well incorporated and smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture and stir until well combined. Set your large mixing bowl aside for later. You’ll need it after the granola is done baking.
- Evenly spread the granola over your prepared baking sheets. Create pockets of space between clusters of granola so it can really crisp up.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes on one side, then flip the granola over with a spatula. Bake for another 10 minutes. Monitor the granola closely so it doesn’t burn. Don’t worry if the granola is slightly soft. It will harden up as it cools.
- Clear some space in your freezer for a large baking sheet. You’ll need this space later.
- In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil (or spray chips with nonstick spray). Stir until chocolate is soft and just slightly melted. Quickly remove from heat, placing on a insulated surface. Continue stirring until smooth.
- Remove granola from the oven and toss into the large mixing bowl. Pour melted chocolate over granola. Using your spatula, fold until granola is well coated.
- Line a large baking sheet with wax paper. Pour the granola onto this sheet, in an even layer. Place the baking sheet, with an insulating cloth underneath, in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Remove from freezer. Break granola into clusters by hand, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: snacks
© beamingbaker.com. All content and images are protected by copyright. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please re-write the entire recipe using your own words and include a link to this post for the recipe.
Try my Best Vegan Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies next.
Fellow bosses, do you like to eat granola all by itself? Or on top of, let’s say, ice cream?
Also, what do you think? Donut or doughnut? ?
<3, demeter
This healthy chocolate recipe is very cool. I would love to make it.
Oh my GOD and here I was thinking I’d reached the perfect level of granola baking… Boy was I wrong. Absolutely love this! I like to eat my granola with some vanilla yoghurt, absolutely gorgeous!
I am always looking for a great granola recipe, and the chocolate and coconut are calling my name! Pinning. 🙂
Woot woot! This is the one, Kate. 🙂 This recipe hits the chocolate-coconut spot, every time. Thanks for stopping by, Kate! <3
If this was in front of me right now I would eat the entire pan, no doubt. So good! Also I am digging your vocab skills – quixotic!!! (insert high five emoji). Pinning this!
Girl, I would happily give you the entire pan! The best part about baking is making people happy. 🙂 Thanks Meghan! I was like, hmm… should I use this word? Nah… Okay, I’m gonna do it! No one will shun me for it. Haha! High-five back to ya for commenting + pinning!
This granola is DELICIOUS!!!!! Best granola I’ve ever eaten! Thank you for the recipe! It’s definitely a keeper! 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂 I’m just… beaming (haha) that you enjoyed it!
I’m going to try this recipe this week! It looks absolutely delicious.
That’s awesome! Let me know how it goes! This recipe is definitely a staple in my house. 🙂
OMG This looks sooo good! Love your photos!
Thanks so much Sam! 🙂 I’ve been working (clumsily) on my photos, so your comment just made my day. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This looks so good. I love that you put in whole almonds and chocolate, two of my favorite things. 🙂
Thank you Megan. 🙂 Those just happen to be two of my favorite thing too! Enjoy!
INCREDIBLE granola! i LOVE it!!! Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you ptdancing! 🙂 Enjoy!