Chocolate Almond Butter Granola

Chocolate almond butter granola with oats, nuts, and cacao. Sweetened with maple syrup and chocolate chunks. Chunky, chocolate-y, and perfect for topping!

 

There’s a running joke in my house that if something doesn’t have chocolate in it, it won’t get eaten.

Which is partially true.

The banana bread loaves that come out of the oven clustered with chocolate chunks definitely goes faster than those that don’t sport dark chocolate spots.

Then there’s my favorite store bought Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola which is absolutely delicious and *highly* addictive.

You’ve been warned.

Naturally I grab for the big granola hunks with the chocolate chips, first, because those are the best.

Wouldn’t you?

Well, last week, M peered into the resealable ‘nola bag and asked deadpan if I had eaten all of the chocolate out of the granola mix *again*.

Er, guilty.

Since then, we’ve established that said granola is mine to do as I please.

Which means eating all of the chocolate first, because there’s no wrong way to eat a bag of granola.

Can I get a witness?

Naturally I wanted to try to recreate a highly addictive granola of my own, but make it oil-free with as much dark chocolate as I want.

This Chocolate Almond Butter Granola is so good, I might even save a bit for you.

Let’s bake some homemade granola!

Homemade granola is so easy that I honestly don’t know why I don’t just make it a regular basis.

I really enjoy making it homemade because I can control the sweetness, make it without added oils, and go wild with add-ins.

You just need a good assortment of nuts, oats, nut butter, and maple syrup for my favorite blueprint granola recipe.

I’ve been making variations on my classic granola template since my Chunky Tahini Granola debut.

This one is made oil-free with the addition of creamy almond butter and super chocolate-y with a mix of raw cacao powder and dark chocolate chunks!

Here’s what you need:

• raw walnuts
• raw pecans
• gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats
• pure maple syrup
• runny almond butter
• raw cacao powder
• Hu Kitchen Gems

That’s it!

First, mix the walnuts and oats in a food processor until they’re finely chopped but not a powder.

I recommend using a blender, but if you don’t have one, you can skip this step.

Typically, 10-15 pulses does the trick for me.

Next, transfer the blended mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the maple syrup, almond butter, and cacao powder.

Fold in the chocolate chips– as many as you want!

I went for a heaping 1/2 cup, but anything goes.

Press the mixture onto the prepared parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer using your hands or the back of a spatula.

It doesn’t have to be perfect; just press as tightly as you can so no parchment paper is visible.

Now your Chocolate Almond Butter Granola is ready to be baked.

This ‘nola only takes about 15 minutes to bake. 

The Chocolate Almond Butter Granola is done when the edges start to brown.

Remove the sheet from the oven and allow the pan to completely cool for 30 minutes.

Yes, I said completely cooled! 

Resist the urge to break the granola apart during this time to ensure for chunkiness later.

After your 30 minute timer goes off, break up the granola with your hands or a knife into large lovable chunks.

Yum!

NOTE: The chocolate chunks might still be a bit gooey even after 30 minutes.

Allow the chocolate chunks to harden before transferring everything to an air tight storage container for safe keeping.

The granola will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container.

Enjoy this Chocolate Almond Butter Granola as a nourishing addition to your breakfast spread!

Try switching up the flavors by using any nut or seed butter in place of the almond butter.

For an entirely grain-free option, substitute extra nuts in for the rolled oats.

Share it with your housemates or stash it in a forbidden fridge drawer for your own personal enjoyment.

My favorite way to enjoy it is for breakfast in a classic parfait with almond milk yogurt, fresh berries, and nut butter.

It’s also fantastic with almond milk, by the handful, on ice cream, or in desserts.

Enjoy!

If you make this Chocolate Almond Butter Granola, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.

For more oil-free granola inspo, check out my Oil-Free Chunky Tahini Granola and Pumpkin Spice Pecan Granola.

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XO Lauren

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Photography by Hot Pan Kitchen