2.13.2011

granola for sweet hearts

Up until last weekend, I'd never tried my hand at making granola from scratch. I had no idea what I was missing. I'm happy to report that I struck gold with my very first recipe--except for adding the chocolate before baking. {Melted mess=Rookie mistake.} Once I got it right, this family was non-stop munching, by the handful! It's simply the perfect amount of sweetness. I had a solid week of amazing breakfasts and snacks, mixing it with a little bit of plain yogurt. I'm pretty sure that if you sprinkled this over a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream you'd feel like you'd died and gone to heaven.

This recipe makes just enough to give and keep. I had a few hostess gifts to give lately, so I divided it into some sweet little jars, added a valentiney paper top, and tied it with string.
Coconut + Chocolate Granola

Original recipe by the good and gracious Orangette. (Love her foodie blog and still need to get my hands on her book.)

6 cups rolled oats
1 c. almonds, chopped
1 c. shredded coconut
1/4 c. sugar
2 t. salt
3/4 c. honey
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 bar of bitter or semi-sweet chocolate (I used 50% cocoa), chopped

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

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, stirringg occasionally until honey is loose, liquid. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine well.

Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden. Pull out the pan and stir the granola half way through baking time; 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 air tight container. Add the chocolate, and stir (or shake, if using a jar or bag) to mix.

Enjoy!
P.S. The snow is melting here this weekend. Let me tell you, the puddles on our sidewalks are a sight for sore eyes.

11 comments:

aimee said...

Thanks for sharing this recipe! My husband and I were just talking about how we should make our own granola. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Cassie said...

I, too, have been wanting to make some granola. I'll definitely try it out sometime soon. It looks so cute the way you've jarred it, too!

Anna said...

this looks amazing. the snow is melting here too!

xo
anna
the hummingbird haps

Alivia said...

This sounds SO perfect! Thank you for the recipe! :)

Michelle {lovely little things} said...

Ooh, how I do love chocolate and coconut.

sassy girl said...

yummy! sorry to say that it was a sunny 73 here in Cali today.....

Jenny at Red House said...

Hi this seems like an easy recipe even for me! I'm always very wary if it's not something I can through in a casserole! jennyx

emily-kallista said...

Looks amazing! I just bought a big bag of toasted to have with yoghurt and berries and tangerine syrup, its heaven! can't wait to make my own.

Miss G said...

Yea for melting snow!!

Happy Valentine's Day.

This looks yummy indeed and I love how you packaged it. Is that a heart shaped post it note? Also, is that a spoon with that gorgeous handle? Kelly

Mama B said...

The jar you brought me is gone. Like 3 minutes after you left.

Mama B said...

I linked back to your recipe Jess :)