Chocolate Espresso Granola

It's funny how much your food choices expand as you get older. Thinking back to when I was younger, the only time I can ever recall eating granola was when I got one of those yogurt parfaits from fast food restaurants-- it came with the little attached cup of granola on top. But now as an adult, granola is one of my go-to breakfasts, snacks, or toppings!

What ingredients do I need to make chocolate espresso granola?

This chocolate espresso granola is a great way to amp up your breakfast game! It isn't super sweet, but has tons of flavor. It has gorgeous clusters with lots of oats, nuts, seeds, chocolate. The espresso flavor it has is subtle, but so good. Here is a list of all the ingredients you'll need to make a batch of this delicious granola!

• Old-fashioned rolled oats

• Cocoa powder

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sliced almonds

• Shredded coconut

• Brown sugar

• Maple syrup

• Espresso powder

• Coconut oil

• Flour

• Mini chocolate chips

You will also need a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, a large bowl, and a big spoon.

Tips for the perfect chocolate espresso granola

Add just a little bit of flour to your granola. Adding just a small amount of flour to granola helps to bind everything together. And because everything will stick together better, it will help you get really nice chunks of granola.

Let it cool completely. Your granola might still be a liiittle bit soft coming out of the oven. Instead of putting it back in to cool a little more, just allow it to cool on the stove completely. As it cools, it will harden and become absolutely perfect.

Ways to use your granola

Now that you have a giant batch of this delicious granola, you have to find ways to devour it, right? Here are some of my favorite ways to eat granola!

1. Eat it as is! Grab a handful or full a jar! You can eat the chunks of granola just like popcorn.

2. Use it to top smoothies or yogurt bowls. Adding granola on top of something smooth like yogurt or a smoothie adds such a nice texture to it. I personally love this granola with greek yogurt, banana slices, and berries.

3. Eat it like cereal! This is probably my absolute favorite way to eat granola... especially this granola. When the chocolate and espresso mix with the cold milk, it is just heaven on a spoon!

Chocolate Espresso Granola

Recipe by Chrissy

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

32

minutes

Total time

42

minutes

Ingredients

• 3 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

• ⅓ cup cocoa powder

• ½ tablespoon espresso powder

• 1 cup slivered almonds

• 1 cup shredded coconut

• ¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds

• ½ tablespoon flour

• ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted

• ⅓ cup brown sugar

• ⅓ cup maple syrup

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

• Pinch of salt

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, flour, and pinch of salt. Stir until everything is mixed up.
• In a small bowl, mix together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and vanilla extract.
• Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture. Mix well until everything is wet and completely combined.
• Dump and spread out the granola mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet.
• Pop the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30-32 minutes, gently stirring it halfway through the cooking time.
• Remove from oven, and let it cool for about 7-8 minutes Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the granola. You want to do this while the granola is still warm so the chips start to melt and stick to the granola. Do not stir to toss the granola.
• Allow to cool completely. Enjoy! Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.