This chocolate olive oil granola is light and crispy and will add the most delicious crunch to your breakfast bowl. Dairy free, wheat free and vegan friendly. This recipe was created in partnership with Bertolli Olive Oil.
Huge batches of granola are an essential part of food prep in my house because I just can’t stop eating it. The great thing about granola is that there are just so many different things you can add in, so you’re forever discovering a new flavour combo that rocks your world.
At the moment I’ve got a bit of a hankering for cacao, so I’ve been making this lovely chocolatey version.
Chocolate and olive oil is a match made in heaven! Especially dark chocolate or cacao, the silky, slightly bitter but rich flavour works so well with a high quality olive oil. Having a top notch extra virgin olive oil in the kitchen like Bertolli Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is definitely something worth investing in, the flavour is well worth it.
(p.s. After you make this granola, you really also need to try chocolate + olive oil together in my Chocolate and Olive Oil Brownies, which are also insanely yum).
Extra virgin olive oil is so versatile, I use it every single day. It’s absolutely fine to use olive oil for both stovetop and oven cooking (provided you aren’t going to insanely high temperatures!), it’s not just for salad dressings.
As olive oil is predominantly made up of monounsaturated fatty acids (as opposed to saturated fat) and is a source of antioxidants, it’s a simple healthier swap that you can implement in many recipes.
But let’s get back to this granola, shall we? In addition to the classic base of wholegrain rolled oats, I’ve used two forms of buckwheat, plus pumpkin seeds and coconut to add lots of different texture to this mix.
Yep, TWO forms of buckwheat! Puffed buckwheat helps keep this granola light and crispy, while buckwheat groats add a delicious crunch.
Buckwheat groats are quite widely available (I can get them at the supermarket), however if you struggle to find puffed buckwheat you can substitute in puffed quinoa, puffed millet, puffed sorghum or puffed brown rice.
Really this whole recipe is pretty flexible when it comes to the dry ingredients you want to mix in. So long as you keep the ratio of oats / coconut / puffed stuff / crunchy stuff, you are probably going to be fine. I’m always adding in different chopped nuts and seeds when I run out of something and get a granola craving!
If you make this granola, let me know! Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out, or take a snap and tag me on Instagram, you’ll find me over at @moniquecormacknutrition 🙂
Chocolate Olive Oil Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup puffed buckwheat (you can substitute puffed quinoa, puffed millet, puffed sorghum or puffed rice)
- 1 cup finely shredded coconut
- ½ cup buckwheat groats
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ⅓ cup cacao powder
- pinch salt
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup maple syrup (you can substitute honey)
- 2 tbsp smooth natural peanut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160C (320F) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Combine rolled oats, puffed buckwheat, buckwheat groats, pumpkin seeds, cacao powder and a pinch of salt. Keep the coconut separate for now.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine thoroughly. Spread across the baking tray and bake for 12 minutes.
- Remove the tray carefully from the oven and add in the shredded coconut, toss to combine. Return to the oven and bake for another 12-15 minutes, checking the edges aren’t burning. Remove and allow to cool and harden before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
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