Coffee and chocolate are like Sundays and men’s extra large sweat pants: a truly tantalizing combination.
Mocha is just too delicious of a flavour; a tasty-duo that I can’t turn down without, necessarily, summoning all of my, fleeting, self-control.
But just as it’s not healthy to live one’s life as though it is a lazy-extra-large-sweatpants-Sunday everyday, I responsibly reserve the delicious, high-sugar, high-calorie, mocha-treats for particularly difficult days, when I need an emotional pick-me-up.
Being that responsible decisions are generally boring decisions, I have shimmied my way through loopholes, finding spectacular ways to indulge in the fabulously-best-of-both-worlds chocolate-coffee marriage.
First, with my recipe for mocha yogurt.
And now second, with this delish mocha granola.
If these two recipes were to be paired together, I think that the world might stop rotating, if only for a brief moment, while the fabulousness of these delights were savoured as one.
Yep. It might just happen.
Mocha Granola
Adapted from Rachel Cooks
Ingredients
3 cups thick cut rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp wheat germ
2 Tbsp ground flax-seed
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules, ground finely (I used my mortar and pestle)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract, optional
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease one or two cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, coconut, salt, brown sugar, wheat germ, ground flax and coffee powder.
2. In separate small bowl, stir together olive oil, water, vanilla, and almond extract (if using).
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until everything is well coated (I just used my hands to squish things around until everything was well combined and moistened).
4. Spread granola in an even layer over the baking sheet(s). Bake for 15 minutes, stir, and then bake for 15-20 minutes longer until golden brown.
5. Let cool completely. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Store in airtight container.
Oh! What’s that? You are as in love with granola as I am? Wellll, you should give my cranberry almond granola and/or chocolate chip granola a wee ‘ol gander.