Chocolate Granola

 

Generally, I’m a pretty healthy eater.

Lots of fruit. I always eat my vegetables. {Team Lima Beans!}  And I very rarely eat red meat.  I prefer whole grains and brown rice.

 

However, sometimes I use too much butter.  Or an excess of salt.  Or just one more dash of heavy cream.   Or CHOCOLATE.  Lots and lots of chocolate.  

 

 

It’s in these instances that I like to convince myself that while these foods may include “unhealthy” ingredients, they are, overall, pretty good for me.  Alfredo pasta with a good half cup of heavy cream?  Totally ok.  There’s grilled chicken!  And asparagus!

Scones with an entire stick of butter?  Totally fine since I {usually} eat only one at a time.

Carrot cake cupcakes with two whole cups of sugar?  It’s all good!  Carrots!  Applesauce!  And they’re small – so it’s perfectly natural to have just one more….

 

I feel the same way about this granola.  Yeah, it’s chocolate, but it’s granola.  And granola has to be healthy.  What else are those darn hippies always munching on?   There are two kinds of nuts and some seeds thrown in too.  Oats and honey.    And besides the yogurt is low-fat.

So…yeah.

Totally healthy.

 

 

Chocolate Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant oats)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds, not roasted
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup mild honey
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 with the rack in the middle .

Stir together all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, until combined.  Evenly spread the mixture on a large, shallow baking pan, or rimmed cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper.  Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 20-35 minutes.  Begin closely checking the granola every five minutes after the 15-minute mark because the granola has a tendency to burn quickly and the cocoa will make it hard to see any burnt areas.

Transfer the granola, still in the pan, to a rack to cool for 45 minutes.  After 15 minutes, begin stirring the granola carefully.  This is the step which gives the granola its typical clusters, so be careful not to stir too enthusiastically and break up the clusters.

Mix in the semisweet chips.

Keep the granola in an airtight container, frozen, for up to a few months.