Well this week was one of THOSE weeks. (See Elton John story) I don’t think I cooked a real meal, I did quick fast things and after looking through pictures and other things I’ve made and have not written about I wanted something new. That led me to this recipe. I found it on Pinterest (here is the link to my article recipes, if you try one please comment and additions, substitutes etc.) https://www.pinterest.com/shakapuddn/the-roosevelt-review/ I wanted to make this a week ago and didn’t get it done, so today is the day, kinda yucky out, the day my article is published and under the gun. Dang, my house smells amazing now, the mixture of coconut and chocolate. I hope I can wait until it’s done. If I burn my mouth tasting that might be the only deterrent.
I can tell already I will not be following the recipe and adding the chips to this. It is already so chocolatey it does not need more, if I did though it would only be half the amount called for. The salt definitely complements this and I was wondering what it will do to my plain yogurt, new favorite. Not too much chocolate or sugar…just right!
This recipe is a KEEPER
• 1¼ cups sliced raw almonds (I used 1 ½ C)
• ¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I used 1 C)
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
• ⅔ cup melted coconut oil (measured in liquid form)
• ⅓ cup maple syrup ( I had just cheap table syrup & worked fine)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
• 1½ cups chocolate chips (omitted)
• sea salt for finishing (you can use kosher)
1. Make: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the oats, almonds, coconut, cocoa, salt, and ⅓ cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla together. Set aside. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Spread the granola into two large jelly roll pans in an even layer.( Mine took a little longer, might have been using the parchment, plus I like it crunchy)
2. Bake: for 50 minutes total, stopping about halfway through to check the granola and shake or stir the pan if needed. After 50 minutes, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the granola, return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until chocolate chips are very soft. Sprinkle with the remaining turbinado sugar and coarse sea salt to taste. The added sugar and salt should stick the outside of the chocolate chips. *YES*
3. Store: Let the granola stand for 1-2 hours. Gently scoop the granola into jars or an airtight container for storing. The advantage of doing this when the chocolate chips are still soft (at the 1-2 hour mark) is that it makes for great texture once it cools – the chocolate chips will sort of melt their way into the clusters and harden within each individual granola cluster. SO GOOD. You can also leave the granola out overnight or for several hours until the chocolate chips are fully cooled and hardened if you want to preserve the shape of the individual chocolate chip pieces in the granola.
NOTES
The coarse sea salt and sugar combination is very important for the overall taste and texture of this granola in my opinion, so try to use that crunchy turbinado sugar and coarse sea salt rather than swapping them for other ingredients.
Gentle handling of the granola is key for preserving the clusters. When you remove it from the oven, don’t stir it. If it’s not over browning during baking, don’t stir it. The more you can leave it alone, the more it will cluster…Patience, I kept stirring it and I didn’t care about clusters
