So, we finally got a Whole Foods within an hour of me. Yay! The other day, since I was over ‘near’ that part of town, and it was my day off, I decided to take an extra 30-minute detour to visit this lovely little place.
I always just buy a bunch of random ingredients, and really the ones I was on the lookout for, I couldn’t find… but I did walk out with a few snacks and already prepped stuff [think:pizza, pimento dip, salsa].
I also found this yummy sounding granola made by Love Crunch — it was a dark chocolate granola with freeze dried raspberries and strawberries. I was looking for something that rated well on Fooducate — this stuff came in at a B! I fell in love with it! I originally bought it to top smoothie bowls or yogurt, but ended up just eating it plain. For some reason, I love fruits that are freeze-dried. I can only find them certain places, and really usually don’t buy them since they’re a little pricey for the amount (weight) you get in a bag. But this granola had just enough in there to hook me. ANDDD it has little bits of dark chocolate floating around in there.
Anyways, I’m sure they sell this at some of the grocery stores closer to me… but also, I was sure I could make a similar granola and be just as happy… so here’s my rendition. I used freeze-dried strawberries and bananas that I found from Publix, and chopped up a super indulgent dark-chocolate candy bar to add too… you know those bars down that candy aisle.. Top shelf, super good chocolate. I never buy them, but I thought now was the time — it’s for granola — AND word around the street is that dark chocolate is actually pretty good for you (in moderation, of course).
I got some inspiration for this recipe from The Baker Mama’s Chunky Homemade Granola recipe (click to view). The final result was an awesome chocolatey treat — while still maintaining some nutritional benefits ~ almonds, oats, dark chocolate, and the freeze dried fruits. It’s good plain or added to a smoothie bowl or yogurt!
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, cocoa powder, flaxseed, almonds, salt, and ¾ cup unsweetened coconut.
- In a small pan over low heat, add the coconut oil, ½ cup honey, coconut palm sugar and vanilla. Stir constantly until coconut oil is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour over dry ingredients and stir together with a wooden spoon or your hands until dry ingredients are mostly coated. Stir in water until granola mixture is wet and a little mushy.
- Press mixture evenly into prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with agave. Bake for about 20 minutes or until granola starts to toast. Remove from oven and let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Once granola is cool, break it into large chunks and stir together a bit. Drizzle with agave or more honey. Return to oven for 10-15 minutes or until granola is evenly toasted and golden brown.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup coconut flakes and add freeze dried fruits and chocolate pieces. Let cool completely. Store in a jar or bag that’s not completely sealed so granola stays crunchy.
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