Dark Chocolate Granola

If it isn't obvious yet (see these posts: 1 2 3), let me just tell you that I am a complete and utter granola fiend. At any and all times I have about 4 boxes of store-bought, and two types of homemade granola on hand. A little excessive, no? I can't help it. Any time I spot a new flavor, I simple *have* to try it!

This particular granola is positively scrumptious and comes from La Tartine Gourmande (so you know it's good!). Not only is it healthy, but it makes it completely acceptable for you to eat chocolate for breakfast, and really, how can there be anything wrong with that?

I love the contrasting textures at play here. You get the nutty almonds and pumpkin seeds, the light puffed rice and millet, and the ultra crunchy oats. While this granola is wonderful served in some cold milk or on top of yogurt, my favorite way to enjoy it is by the handful :).

Dark Chocolate Granola

recipe from here

ingredients:

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup millet puffs
• 1/2 cup rice puffs
• 1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (80g) dark chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a small pot, combine the water, honey, sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
3. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate. Stir the warm liquid into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour the mixture onto the lined baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Cool completely.
5. Stir in the chocolate and store in an airtight container.

Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola

(I'm not sure why the font is so small all of a sudden... it is not a different size than any of my other posts :/. Blogger just likes to give me trouble, I suppose.)


Okay guys, this will be the last lavender recipe for a while, promise (though, if you love lavender as much as me that may not be such a good thing?)!

Let me just start off by stating the facts: this is the one of the best tasting and smelling granolas (with a serious emphasis on "smelling"- man my house smelled GREAT) in the whole wide world and if you think otherwise I'd have to say that you are positively crazy. With that said, you certainly have to like lavender and coconut to like this granola :).

Honestly though, it even beats my old favorite, Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola, by a landslide. I suppose I could be extremely biased considering two of my very favorite flavors are lavender and coconut, but even Mikey-- who is not a granola-person mind you-- found it to be addictively scrumptious (side note: Firefox tells me "addictively" is not a word, but I could have sworn it was and will continue to go on pretending that it is).

Coconut and lavender seem like a less than desirable match, but they work unexpectedly well together! (I imagine that a lavender-coconut quick bread would be quite amazing.) The Meyer lemon's flavor is extremely subtle in this granola, but noticeable enough to freshen things up a bit. I love the delicious nuttiness the hazelnuts add, and the crunchy buckwheat kernels bring in lots of texture. Basically, I adore every component of this granola.

If you don't try either of the other two lavender recipes I've posted recently, I implore you to try this one! Because as a granola-lover, this one is just perfect for me, and I hope that you will find it to be more than acceptable for you as well!

By the way: Recently I posted an "About Me" page (which can be found at the very top of each page) and I was curious to know if there were any other questions you would like answered on the page. Please post any suggestions in the comments, thanks!

Hazelnut-Lavender-Coconut Granola

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup buckwheat
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup coconut butter (you could use coconut oil instead, it just won't be as coconut-y)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp culinary lavender

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, buckwheat, coconut, hazelnuts, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan, melt together the honey, coconut butter, and lavender over low heat for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Pour the hot mixture over the oats, etc. and stir to fully coat. Pour the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out into an even, thin layer.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the granola has reached your desired level of golden-brown (I like mine a little more on the extra-toasty side), stirring every 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely on baking sheet before storing.

Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola with Figs and Goat's Milk Yogurt

I am an absolute granola nut. I freakin' love the stuff, and I am all about a complex, jam-packed mix. I like it loaded with all sorts of goodies: nuts, seeds, fruit, grains, etc., but this incredibly simple and uncomplicated granola blew me away. I have zero idea how a granola with only 6 ingredients (that includes salt and pepper!) can taste so unbelievably complex and wonderful and yet, this slightly spicy and sweet mix swept me off my feet and left me swooning. The small amount of butter and sugar form a wonderful caramel coating over the individual oats and nuts which is absolutely addictive!


Everyone knows that goat cheese and figs are a match made in heaven, but have you ever tried figs and goat's milk yogurt? Oh my.... it is purely sublime. Add in the spicy pine nut granola and you are left with the most amazing way to start off your day (though I must admit I've also had it for lunch, snacks, and dessert). This dish is basically texture heaven. You get the cool, creamy yogurt against the warm, soft figs, and finally the crunchy granola.


All I can say is, you simply must try this dish. It couldn't be easier and yet the flavors are incredible. I'll stop tying to convince you now and just let the photos speak for themselves :).

Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola with Figs and Goat's Milk Yogurt

This is more of an outline than a recipe. This is just what I use for myself.

ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola (recipe below)
• 1/4 cup goat's milk yogurt (I used a variety with added honey but you could use plain and drizzle actual honey on top, or just skip it altogether)
• 2 fresh figs, quartered (I used Black Mission)
• 1 tsp olive oil

1. Heat the oil in a small pan over high heat. Add the figs and saute for about 4-5 minutes or until they begin to caramelize.
2. Add the yogurt and granola to a bowl and top with the figs. Eat up!

Pine Nut and Black Pepper Granola

recipe from August 2010 issue of Cooking Light

ingredients:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large skillet or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add in the sugar and cook for about 2 minutes until the sugar lightly browns. Add in the nuts, oats, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Spread the mixture in a thin layer onto the lined baking sheet. Bake for 16 minutes, stirring after 8 minutes. Cool completely.

Salty-Sweet Granola "Clusters"

Tastespotting didn't like the "composition" of this photo :(

Yes, I had originally set out to make granola bars. Some tasty, easily portable, better-than-the-store-bought snack bars (by the way I just mistakenly typed "bras" which is definitely not the same, ha ha). Well, things didn't go exactly to plan, though, to be fair, I don't think it was the recipes fault (although many others who tried the recipe complained of the same thing). You see, I was supposed to wait until the baked bars were completely cooled before cutting them. I assumed, like the others who had this little mishap I'm sure, that cooled for 45 minutes to slightly warmed was equivalent to "completely cooled." -Sigh- And so I am sure this was my mistake, and had I waited longer these would have cut without shattering.
Well anyways, despite my "issues," this granola was soooo good! I LOVED the honey/peanut butter binding mixture. These bars were also pretty salty which complemented the naturally sweet dried fruit extremely well.
I highly recommend making these bars, only, unlike me, be sure to wait until they are COMPLETELY cooled. I would wait a couple of hours at least; it's better to be safe than sorry.

As you can see, they are somewhat bar shaped, but there was a lot of crumbling.

Salty-Sweet Granola Bars... or "Clusters"

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup whole cashews
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried currants

Before and after roasting!

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line both a baking sheet and an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Combine the oats, coconut, seeds, and nuts and spread out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. 
3. In a small sauce pan, combine the sugar, salt, honey and peanut butter over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then reduce the heat to low until the nuts/seeds are done toasting.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the toasted nuts/seeds/coconut, the dried fruit, and the honey/peanut butter mixture with a wooden spoon.
5. Spread the mixture into the square baking dish. With a piece of wax paper, press down on the granola to create a smooth, even surface.
6. Bake the granola for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool COMPLETELY. Cut with a very sharp knife and store in an airtight container.

 Makes 16 bars at 195 calories each.