This Pecan & Chocolate Granola is almost like dessert for breakfast, I would not say no to that. It have loads of good stuff in it. Rolled oats, mixed of different nuts, maple syrup to lightly sweeten it , cocoa powder for chocolate flavor and chunks for dark chocolate chunks to make it an extra granola treat in every spoonful. It is great for snacking if you are looking for something to nibble, great to serve with yogurt or with milk like breakfast cereals. I cannot get enough eating this.

Ever since I learned how to make Homemade Granola, I never looked back on buying the store-bought. With how easy and simple it is to make at home (not to mention super flexible too), it discourages me to buy one from a grocery store. I love that I can mix and match ingredients that I love. I can play around what type of nuts or dried fruits to add. I can adjust the portion and more or less depending what I feel like eating and what I have available.

I often make the plain loose granola, like the one in my Very Nutty Granola video. They are more versatile but I also like making different variations so I do not get bored eating the same thing. This Pecan & Chocolate Granola a variation that I make when I want something different. This is almost like dessert for breakfast with the addition of the chunks chocolate and cocoa powder.

This granola is not too sweet which is something that I like. There is sweetness but not as much. When I first made it, I only used 1/4 cup of maple syrup, I did not like it as much. I find that it was lacking in sweetness so when I made it again, I increased it to 1/3 cup. Maple syrup is not as sweet as honey, so it might sound 1/3 cup is a lot but not really. The consistency of maple syrup is lighter than honey so it blends better. Maple syrup is the option if you want to keep it vegan, but you can also use honey. Just remember that honey is sweeter, thicker and stickier in consistency and it will affect the binding and sweetness.

You can make this in a large bowl and manually mix it, just make sure to chopped the nuts in the size that you want them. I like to make varying sizes, so some I leave as a whole and some I chopped in half and others in small pieces. I like to have texture in my granola. 

Mix & Match

You can mix and match nuts and dried fruits that you like. I used Almonds and Pecans because that is what I have on hand. Walnuts and Hazelnut will work too. For the seeds, sesame amd chia seed is the only one I have, but I will definitely add some pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds next time. I used unsweetened shredded coconut you can also use sweetened if you have it. You can even add coconut chips. For the dried fruits, I choose dried cranberry, I think it matched well with the chocolate flavour. You can also use raisins, dried Strawberry, Apricot and other dried fruits that works well with chocolate flavour.

Tips in Making Homemade Granola

• Use the Right Type of Oats – I always use rolled oats when making homemade granola. The big and thick pieces hold well when baked, and it crisp just nicely. I imagine quick cooking oats will be too soft and just when mixed in with liquid, while steel cut oats are very small flakes and quite haard
• You need Fat! Fat provides moisture and crunch to granola, so do not skip it. Yes, you heard me right. You need fat to produce a nice crunchy granola. I like using coconut oil for all my granola, but milk olive oil will work too, or any flavorless oil.
• The Order of Adding thee Ingredients matter – My rule of thumb, add the ingredients that takes longer too bake, add dried fruits last or anything that could get dry and burn easily. Adding fried fruits too early could dry it even more, or worst, burn it. So take note of what you add during and after baking the granola. Nuts, seeds and oats are ok to go first as they can stand heat without burning too fast. Flaked mix in like coconut or sliced Almonds are advisable to add close to the end of baking to avoid them from toasting too much. Dried fruits comes last after you have already taken the granola out of the oven. Chocolate chips or chunks are the very last to add when the granola had the chance to cool down.
• Add Salt – This is also a MUST for me when making homemade granola. Salt enhances the flavor and taste of the granola, and sometimes balances the sweetness especially when adding sweet mixed in like chocolate nibs. The sweet and salty always works for me.
• Clumps are Good – If you want to have clusters in the granola, make sure the press the granola firmly on the sheet. Mix and break as loosely as possible to retain big clusters.
• Know When it is Done – Is it done yet? Good question. I’ve made quite a lot of homemade granola before, and sometimes the baking time vary each time. This depends on the mix in I used. Hard nuts like Almonds and Cashew tend to toast longer, while pecan and walnuts toast quicker. Slight browning is good enough as the remaining heat will continue to cook the granola, do not wait it to be fully toasted and browned. The mixture will get crunchier and harder as it cool down. The analogy is similar to when baking a cookie. You want to take it out while it is still not fully bake in the middle as the remaining heat will continue to bake the cookie. Anyway to tell is when you can start to smell the toasted nuts, it is a good indication that it is almost done or close to being done.

Ingrdients:

• 1 cup Rolled Oats
• 1/3 cup raw Almonds
• 1/3 cup raw Pecans or Walnuts
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/3 cup shredded Coconut
• 1 tablespoon Chia Seed
• 2 tablespoon Sesame Seed
• 2 tablespoon Pumpkin Seed
• 1/2 teaspoon table Salt
• 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
• 2 tablespoon Coconut Oil
• 1 teaspoonpure Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup Chocolate Chunks or Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 cup dried Cranberry or Raisins– chopped

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 330F. Line a baking sheet/cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Chop half of the nuts into smaller pieces and chop the remaining into half. This will give a nice texture to the granola. If you prefer all finely chopped or half, do that.
3. In a large bowl, transfer the oats, cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil, Almonds, Pecans, shredded coconut, pumpkin seed, chia seed, sesame seed, salt and vanilla extract. Using a sturdy spatula, mix until combined.
4. Transfer in a parchment lined baking sheet/cookie sheet. Spread the mixture on top.
5. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and stir. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Gently mix to loosen up tie pieces. Add chocolate chunks and chopped cranberry.
7. Store in an airtight container

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