Pecan, Vanilla Chai & Chocolate Granola

I literally feel as if I’m on my deathbed right now. However I feel that way every single time I have any sign of a cold/cough. I also decide to WebMD every single symptom and always end up with the same conclusion: I’m going to die. So this time around, in order to not scare the crap out of myself, I’m going to postpone setting up my burial and incredibly disappointing Will (or what would be disappointing, you’ve inherited debt! Congratulations!). And just see…. how…. things go….. 

Who are we kidding. I give myself an hour. Good Riddance to any productivity that I had set up for myself today. I’ll be on bed rest with a self diagnosis of kicking the bucket. 

My only will to live (aside from the obvious baby-child) is knowing that I have a big giant tub of homemade pecan, vanilla chai & chocolate granola sitting in my fridge, waiting to be devoured. It would be cruel to let that go to waste. And I can always will myself to feel better for a good bowl of granola <3

This particular granola has a nutty crunch from the pecans, bold flavors of chai & vanilla with the sweetness of chocolate layered in with every bite you take. The best part about granola is that it is so incredibly versatile, feel free to add or change up some of the ingredients. I use pecans, since I have an overwhelming amount leftover from the holidays as well as bittersweet chocolate. You can easily substitute a different nut, or different type of chocolate. However I don’t recommend taking either one of those ingredients away completely. The nut really compliments the oats and the chocolate helps balance out the Chai, giving it a little more sweetness to take the edge off.  

I also add chocolate chunks after the granola has been baked, because no one likes burnt chocolate AND when you add chunky chocolate and fold it in with the hot granola it melts perfectly working almost as a glue creating larger chunkier granola which is perfect for cereal/ easier snacking. I served mine over a bowl of organic vanilla yogurt with fresh raspberries. Winning combo. 

Chai it and let me know what you think 😉

5.0 from 1 reviews

Pecan, Vanilla Chai & Chocolate Granola

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

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Ingredients

• 4 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1.5 cups pecans
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. First preheat your oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or foil works as well).
2. Next add your oats, pecans, and spices in a large bowl. Set aside
3. In a small bowl add your wet ingredients, honey, coconut oil, egg & vanilla extract. Whisk together.
4. Slowly fold in your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients (the oat mix) until everything is fully incorporated. Make sure to really get to the bottom of the bowl when mixing as a lot of the spices and nuts make their way to the bottom.
5. Once fully mixed together pour onto a large baking sheet and spread out evenly. Place in oven for about 20 minutes, mixing halfway through. Remove from oven once the granola is slightly golden on top, it will develop more of a crunch as it begins to cool. YOU do NOT want to burn this! Or else it ruins the entire flavor, so be careful!
6. Once you remove the granola immediately add your chocolate chunks on top and begin to fold with a spatula until chocolate is all melted throughout granola. This takes a couple of minutes but trust me it will eventually melt. Remove from baking sheet and store in a air tight container. I recommend storing it in your fridge, this really brings out the flavors and adds better "crunch" texture.

Notes

**melted coconut oil is easier to work with however isn't necessary, you'll just need to mix a little longer

3.5.3208