This nutty granola with cocoa nibs and coconut is the best granola I’ve made in a quite some time. I make a lot of granola and have alter my recipe little by little through the years. This iteration is rich, golden, and has a deep flavor from the cocoa nibs that I just love. It is excellent with fruit and yogurt or simply by the handful. I often opt for the later.
Granola is my snack of choice.
I’ve felt this way for a long time. Growing up, when I was hungry between meals, I rummaged through the freezer hoping to find a big bag of granola that my mom stashed away. This wasn’t just any granola. It was granola from the local co-op store’s bulk bin, and it was the only granola I would eat. It was barely sweet and studded with freeze-dried raspberries that made the toasty oats deliciously tangy. Occasionally, I went to the co-op with my mom. I would search through the granola bin with the allotted scoop, hunting the little jewel-like clusters of raspberries and scooping them into the bag so that the oats-to-raspberries ratio was to my liking. One time I ventured out of my raspberry granola bliss and tried out the more traditional brown sugar raisin granola offering–it was a mistake I never made again.
These days, I opt for granola loaded with crunchy, chunky bits, but I still like little bursts of surprising flavor reminiscent of the raspberry granola of my youth. The cacao nibs in this granola serve that purpose perfectly.
The thing about granola is, you can buy it at the store, but you can’t control the ingredients. Store-bought granola is often killer sweet, mostly oats with a few nuts or bits of dried fruit scattered here and there. The oat-to-anything-else ration is way off, and it always feels like a rip-off to me.
I propose making your own granola. This nutty granola with cocoa nibs and coconut is a great place to start, and it might be the most simple thing that you throw together this week.
Start by putting all your oats, nuts and salt into a big mixing bowl. Use whatever nuts you like (I’m a fan of hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios). Make it your own. Measure out your maple syrup and melted coconut oil and mix them into the oats and nuts. Bake the mixture on a pan tossing a few times and adding in the cocoa nibs and coconut flakes about ten minutes before the granola finishes baking. The cocoa nibs give the granola the most delicious little pop of bitter chocolate and are the perfect complement to the roasty, toasty nuttiness, and light maple sweetness.
If you like this Nutty Granola with Cocoa Nibs and Coconut, you might also like:
Maple Tahini Rice Crispy Treats with Dark Chocolate & Coconut
Hot Cross Buns with Dried Cherries & Dark Chocolate
Nutty Granola with Cocoa Nibs and Coconut
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2 cups nuts of your choice I used a mix of pecans, pistachios & walnuts
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted*
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup cocoa nibs
*You can also use olive oil here and it is equally delicious!
Instructions
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Pre-heat the oven to 300*F.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, and salt. Add in the coconut oil and maple syrup and stir until all the oats and nuts are thoroughly coated with the liquids. Pour the mixture evenly onto a rimmed sheet pan.
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Place in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then toss. Bake for 15 more, toss again and add the coconut flakes and cocoa nibs. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the sheet pan, then transfer to an airtight container. Enjoy!
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How do I substitute puréed dates for the maple syrup?
Hi Christine! I’ve not tried that substitution. If you want to use date instead, I’d suggest using date syrup. I’d probably use a little less, like maybe 2 tablespoons less than what’s called for because date syrup is super sweet in my opinion. But I think it’d be delicious!