Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola

This morning I had dark chocolate pistachio granola for breakfast and it was AMAZING!!!  Oh my,  so good!  If you’ve been following my blog lately, you know I clearly LOVE granola!  I’ve been enjoying trying out different varieties of granola and so far not one has disappointed!    Although the ingredients are similar, they all have their own distinct flavor.  This is a variation on the Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola recipe from the Healthy Maven.

Typically I use a 50/50 blend of honey and molasses as the sweetener in my granola.  For dark chocolate pistachio granola I opted to use agave syrup.  Agave syrup has a sweeter taste; therefore, I  used 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup.  The result was fabulous!  Agave syrup lets the flavor of the oats shine through more than honey and molasses. If you don’t have agave syrup on hand, I would recommend using honey in this recipe.

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shelled pistachios (about 2 cups in shell)*
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 cup seeds (pumpkin and sunflower)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 agave syrup
• optional: 1 egg white, whipped (helps make clusters in granola)
• Add chocolate chips to individual servings or 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks to batch of cooled granola

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In a large bowl combine rolled oats, pistachios, seeds, cinnamon and sea salt.  Microwave coconut oil and agave syrup for 30-60 seconds until oil is melted, then add vanilla.  Pour wet ingredients over dry and then stir to combine.

If using egg white, stir in now. Do NOT stir in chocolate chips before baking.

Spray baking sheet  lightly with cooking spray or line with parchment or a silicone mat.  Spread out granola over sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, then stir granola and bake for another 15-20 mins or until granola is browned slightly and crispy.  Let cool completely on baking sheet (will take about an hour).  Stir in chocolate chunks if adding to entire batch.

Will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or mason jar (if it keeps that long).

 

Serving suggestions:

Serve over slightly thawed frozen peaches, and milk, microwave for 1 minute add chocolate chips.  Today, I used mini semi-sweet and loved them!  As a cold dish option, dark pistachio granola would be great over your favorite flavor of yogurt.  I would love to hear any serving suggestions you have!

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