French Chocolate Granola - or, the best thing ever

I’ve decided to start making granola this winter. Once I have my ideal recipe for plain granola, I’ll post it here (I’ve only tried one plain recipe so far, and it was good, but not great). This Orangette recipe for granola with chocolate, however, was truly awesome. I ate it every morning for a week straight and I just couldn’t get enough. This is a definite keeper that is going straight to my favourite recipes.

I used the teeny tiny chocolate chips that I mentioned in the pear and chocolate scone recipe. Regular-sized chocolate chips would be a bit too big for this. You can chop the chocolate, of course; make sure you use good-quality dark chocolate. If you’re making this gluten-free, make sure the oats are certified gluten-free. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it would be the same without almonds, though, so I have no nut-free alternative to offer.

3 cups rolled oats
½ cup raw almonds, chopped
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
pinch of salt
6 Tbsp mild honey
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup, or more, finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 300 °F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar, and salt. Stir well to blend.



In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the honey is loose. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well.



Spread the mixture evenly the baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Give the granola a good stir after about 10 minutes; this helps it to cook evenly. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well – this will keep it from cooling into a hard, solid sheet – and cool completely.



When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl. Add the chocolate and stir. Store in an airtight container. Serve with plain milk; soy milk and plain yogurt overwhelm the chocolate flavor.