Dark Chocolate Coco-Nutty Granola

I think Katrina would like this granola 🙂  Reason 1:  It's a recipe she found on Camilla's blog and she states will be her go to method for granola making. (and it will probably be mine too!)  Read her post to find out why.  Reason 2:  It's chock full of nuts and dark chocolate.  Reason 3:  It really is a healthy for you granola!

I had been to the new Honest Weight Food Club location (WOW, what an amazing store!) and happily bought nuts from the bulk section.  I bought pecan pieces, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.  My favorite thing to eat nuts in is granola.  Who doesn't love that toasty flavor of roasted nuts?  So, that very next weekend I set my sights on Katrina's blog because I know she is a granola aficionado.  She has a lot of flavor ideas on her blog, so you should be checking them out.  The Banana Split Granola sounds really yummy!  I decided to do my own flavors and use the method Katrina talks about to get the crispy chunks of granola.  Awesome, awesome recipe.  This recipe makes a LOT of granola, but that was ok for me this time because I knew I was going to pack some up in the freezer to take to Christopher when we go visit him.  I texted him a pick of this granola and he showed the pic to his cousin, so I'm pretty sure he's anxious to get the granola.  Of course, he's anxious to see his mom too.  😉

I normally eat my granola with some greek yogurt.  I rarely eat it in a bowl with milk.  Just am not a cereal girl.  This granola however, is not too sweet and is perfect to grab a handful just to have as an after dinner snack/dessert/sweet fix also!

I think I can hear my Nanny say to me "Shelby Mae, I think we need a little taste of something sweet.  How about a handful of this granola".  🙂 It definitely has the dessert fix for me and is so much better for you!

Note:  I have been moving towards organic products and hopefully in the near future we will be eating organically in our home all the time.  I much prefer knowing that my food is not contaminated with hormones and pesticides that are likely culprits of health issues!

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Dark Chocolate Coco-Nutty Granola

June-27-2013

The secret to the crunch is in the egg whites!  A granola sweetened only with pure maple syrup, chock full of good for you nuts!  

Ingredients

• 6 cups whole oats
• 1 cup raw pecan pieces
• 1 cup raw walnut pieces
• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ⅓ cup flax seed meal
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 egg whites
• ¾ cup pure maple syrup
• 1-½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ cup dried apricots, diced
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup dates, chopped
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the oats, nuts, seeds, flax, and cinnamon in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until frothy. Whisk in the maple syrup, oil and almond extract until well blended. Add egg white mixture to the oat mixture and stir together to coat all the dry ingredients with the wet. Spread the mixture evenly onto two rimmed baking sheets.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until granola turns brown and toasty) stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even browning. completely on baking sheets. Stir in the dried fruit and chocolate. Transfer the granola to an airtight container.Details
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: Approx 9 cups