Please bear with me if you are not a granola fan, but this is just another spin on my granola recipe. I’ve made so much of it lately that my husband is afraid I am going to start hugging trees at random and possibly start peeing in the woods. He has been converted to granola, but the kids still aren’t convinced. So, this is what I did to it to make it something they would take in their lunch boxes.
It’s more of a trail mix thing than something you would eat with milk as a cereal. But if you think you would like chocolate chips in your bowl of breakfast cereal, by all means try it out. Or, possibly up the honey and cocoa powder a little and leave the chocolate chips out altogether.
We put it in little containers for them to snack on at school. It’s nut free, of course, because even though there are currently no kids allergic to nuts in the school they are a little hyper vigilant about the nut thing. I added in lots of seeds instead.
Nut-free Chocolatey Chocolate Chip Granola
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup seeds (I used flax seed, pumpkin and sunflower)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup honey
- 3 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- a pinch of sea salt
- 1 egg white, beaten*
- ½ cup chocolate &/or butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 275F. Heat honey until its thinned and melt coconut oil. Add with vanilla into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add egg white once everything is well mixed and cooled down slightly – you don’t want to cook the egg white with the warm oil, mix well again. Spread onto well-greased baking sheet (or use a silicone sheet like I did) and bake for around 25 to 30 minutes, or until mixture is dry and crunchy. Once it has cooled, add in ½ cup of chocolate chips and/or butterscotch chips.
*The addition of the egg white lets the granola clump a little more, making it easier to eat as a dry snack.
Linking to Bringing Beauty, Frugally Sustainable, Like a Mustard Seed, Your Green Resource, Cheerios and Lattes, An Original Belle
lightlycrunchy 
That looks really great! Delicious, it must make a wonderfully tasty breakfast.
Also a good snack, with some yogurt.
Nice idea to add cocoa powder and chocolate chips. My children won’t eat granola either, which I think is absurd.
Thanks for the laugh! You don’t pee in the woods yet? (hehe!) This looks so yummy! You can never have too much granola!
I have, but it resulted in poison ivy last time.. I used to be immune to the stuff as a kid, but found out the hard way that the immunity wears off. Now I try to hold out for rest stops and leave the woods to the bears.
Ouch!
Looks and sounds delicious. I’ve made homemade muesli before and it’s a similar process, but I ended up stopping because it was such an effort for a very small amount of muesli. I’m interested to know if you make this up in bulk and how long it lasts you?
This amount usually lasts us a week. I don’t make it every week, just when I feel like it. It makes about three cups, but could easily be doubled.
This looks like a great on-the-go snack for the little people in my house [and possibly the big ones, too].
We eat a lot of granola and muesli around here. Adding chocolate? Never thought of it!?! Even though I eat homemade granola bars with chocolate chips. Ah, now another great excuse for chocolate for breakfast (I all ready have one vice, Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter on whole grain toast). Thanks!
Oh, and I’ve all ready crossed that line – I carry a little bit of toilet paper in my fuel belt every time I do a long run, sometimes nature calls and there are no bathrooms for miles around. Does that make me crunchy too? 😉
It makes you well prepared, I’d say.
Ha ha!
I haven’t started making bars yet -that’s the next step, I guess. I’ve been too lazy to go that one step further.
It just makes our favorite treat portable, not really any more difficult, you just need a moister formulation, press it into the pan instead of baking it in clusters, then cool and slice into bars. Totally do-able.
sounds delicious! would absolutely eat it for breakfast!
YUM!! Going to have to try this one out!
Yum! This sounds delicious and homemade granola is STILL on my “to-try” list. Maybe this will be the recipe that finally gets my butt in gear! Thanks for sharing 🙂
YUM!!!
These sound delish! We do eat granola and lots of it. I switched to only molasses as a sweetener and that’s been a good change. My source is local and I can buy it by the gallon! Who knew?! Great job, Heidi!
I’ve never tried it with molasses before – but I do have some I could used up. Next time! We get our honey free by the case from a local apiary – he keeps bee boxes on my in-law’s farm. Therefore its the perfect thing to use for us.
this looks delicious!
Oh Lord. This isn’t going to last very long in this house…..thanks for another fabulous recipe!
I brought it in to work and it immediately disappeared. Good thing I saved some for the kid’s lunches.
Ha!
some lucky kid will try it and peruade his friends to go on a business venture or an adventure, and this will be the next millionnaire on the block..that’s how creativity becomes contagious..good recipes…
Lets hope my kids make me rich then!
[…] packs – my kids are just as happy with little containers of granola (chocolate), seeds, dried cranberries and the occasional Cheerio (some things you can’t just leave […]
I made this on Monday–it was fantastic! Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Turns out, I like it with milk, too. I thought it would only be good as a dry snack, but I was wrong. Its a definite hit at my house too. Thanks for letting me know.
YUM YUM YUM! I want some now 🙂 Would love for you to share with us at Kids in the Kitchen: http://younglivingoillady.com/home/kids-in-the-kitchen-link-up-week-12/ Hope to see you there! Thanks, Carrie @ younglivingoillady.com
I will, thanks.
Yum I love chocolate chips in my granola!
Thanks for sharing at Beautify It Monday!
-Four Sisters
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing at Saturday Show and Tell. I hope you’ll be back this week.
-Mackenzie
http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com
[…] re-inspired to give it another try by seeing such yummilicious recipes as LightlyCrunchy’s chocolate granola (doesn’t that sound super delish?) and I am just intrigued by Leanne’s idea of using […]
Love the idea of putting egg white in for clumpiness! I am obsessed with clumpy granola so I will definitely try this trick (the cocoa powder will also find it’s way in)!
The kids were just asking me to make this again the other day. It’s a favourite at our house.
[…] Nut-Free Chocolately Chocolate Chip Granola (Or, How to Get Your Kids to Eat Granola) Enjoy a recipe for homemade granola that is nut-free and chocolate flavored. […]