Is there anything better than chocolate for breakfast? That's a rhetorical question, because I don't think there is. It doesn't have to be as indulgent as it sounds, as a little bit of dark chocolate goes a long way in this Dark Chocolate and Cranberry Granola recipe.
Chocolate Granola
Chocolate and cherry is such a classic flavour combination, but what about chocolate and cranberry? A combination that is usually reserved for Christmas, I don't think it gets enough love the rest of the year and this granola recipe is is a great way to bring a little taste of Christmas to a springtime breakfast.
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Granola, usually made up of a base of rolled oats and honey and baked until crisp, dates back to the late 1800's, where it was served at a health spa in New York. It died out when the spa closed in the early 20th century, and then made a revival in the 60's when fruit and nuts were added to it and it was promoted as a health food, which all of the hippies at the time loved!
Homemade Granola
I am always surprised at how much "gourmet" granola brands can get away with charging for a bag of jazzed up granola. The basic ingredients of granola are some of the cheapest around and just by throwing in some dried fruit/nuts and some chocolate they can bump up the price tag by 50%. Why am I surprised? Because it's SO easy to make yourself at home, and the best bit is, the flavour combinations are almost endless.
As I general rule, some kind of nut/seed and some dried fruit at a good place to start, but we have so much chocolate still left over from Easter, that some of that had to get thrown in as well. I used to be one of those people that thought "what's leftover chocolate?", but now I know and to be honest, it's not the worst problem in the world to have. I know there are tonnes of cake recipes out there to use up leftover Easter chocolate, or you could just melt it down and make cornflake crispy cakes (wow, it's been years since I have made those), but this is something a little different, and something you can enjoy for breakfast.
Breakfast has now gone from comforting bowls of porridge, overflowing with toppings, to a bowl of something light and crunchy. It can even be eaten on the go, as we want to spend as much time outside when the weather is nice. You can do so much with granola too! It doesn't just have to be eaten out of a bowl with milk - you can eat it with yoghurt, or use it to top muffins with. Cranberry and dark chocolate granola muffins sound like something I am going to try very soon.
You can make up a big batch of this and just keep it in an airtight container for two weeks. Or a day or two, which is about as long as it lasts in our house! Every time one of us walks past the jar we can't help opening it up and having a sneaky handful or two of it. It's got fruit in it, so it can't be bad!
We also take a bag of this out with us if we are going on a long hike, as it is light, nutritious and high in calories if you eat enough of it, so it makes good hiking fuel. Don't be put off the high calorie part though, it's a good amount of calories to have for breakfast if you just eat one serving of it. But that's the hard part, just eating one serving.
Dark Chocolate and Cranberry Granola
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon runny honey
- 4 tablespoon coconut oil
- 180 g rolled oats
- 100 g dried cranberries
- 100 g almonds
- 100 g 80% dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F and line a large baking sheet with grease proof paper.
- Place the honey and coconut oil in a pan and melt over a low heat. Add the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate and cranberries, and mix well.
- Pour the granola on to the baking sheet and spread it out evenly. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then add the chocolate and cranberries and mix. Transfer to an airtight container and use within 2 weeks.
Nutritional Information
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Christa
Further to my previous review, I’ve tried the new recipe with a couple of my own amendments and it turned out great! This will definitely be a mainstay in my house from now on. The amendments I made were: lowering the oven temp to 150c fan, and baking for 40 mins, I got that dark colour and toasty flavour but without risk of burning. I also increased the oats to 250g because this personally gave me a nicer ratio of ingredients (fyi I used jumbo porridge oats).
Christa
A lovely recipe but it burned. I reduced the temp to 180c for my fan assisted oven and didn’t give it a second over the 20min cooking time. The granola was passable but I don’t think it works by baking the cranberries with the other ingredients, they should be added with the chocolate at the end. They were crunchy and bitter and it ruined the overall flavour.
Dannii
Hello! Sorry about that - the recipe should say add the remaining ingredients except the chocolate and cranberries (which are both added at the end). I have edited the recipe now.Cooking times will vary depending on the oven used too. I hope you still managed to enjoy it.
Sara
This sounds like a perfect snack!
Deanna
Mmmm This looks so delish!
Christine
Homemade granola always tastes better than store bought. I love all the flavors in this delicious granola recipe!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ
Chocolate for breakfast...sign me up. And cherries go fabulous with chocolate.
Heather
I love dark chocolate, this looks amazing and easy.
Jenifer
Very good article! thanks!
Jess
Daaam that looks so good!
Honestly I have a secret obsession for chocolate kids cereal but this is the perfect adult version!
Anna @AnnaTheApple
I was with you until you said "leftover Easter chocolate" - what is that exactly?? ;-)
WhatLauraLoves
Ooh dark chocolate and cranberry sounds as though they would compliment one another perfectly xxx
angela milnes
Absolutely looks yummy! I want to try this on weekends, I love Granola
Jemma
Great breakfast inspiration, it looks delicious. I love dark chocolate!
joanna
I never thought of making my own granola. What a brilliant idea! And yes, you are right, there is nothing better than chocolate for breakfast! :)
Melanie
Yummy, scrummy yes please! Love healthy tasty reciepes like this :) x
Julie @ Running in a Skirt
Yum! Love this twist on granola! Looks super tasty!
Rhian Westbury
Such a nice variation on granola. Cranberry and dark chocolate does work really well x
Anosa
Wow, such a great find. Another recipe to try on. Hopefully over the weekends I can pull this off.
Ali Rost
Granola is one of my favorite snacks. I carry it with me in my backpack when I ride my bike or am at school. Your version looks wonderful with dark chocolate and cranberry. Can't wait to give it a try!