Chocolate and orange is a classic combo that probably does not require much to be said. However, since I have one very avid lover of this combo, I thought it would be nice to have something to be enjoyed daily. Apart from many dessert ideas, granola is the obvious healthy choice. So homemade chocolate orange granola it is.
About the ingredients
You can use rolled or smaller instant oats for this recipe, whichever you prefer.
Make sure to use fresh nuts and seeds. If they were not stored properly, they could go rancid pretty quickly, leaving a very undesired taste in your mouth. The taste will remain even after you bake the granola, so to be 100% sure, try some before adding to the granola mix.
For the citrusy zing, try to find organic candid orange that is not too dry. Usually, the baking aisle in the supermarket has perfect ones; not dry at all.
I love Valrhona chocolate in my sweet recipes. So for this recipe, I used Guanaja 70%. It has a very creamy taste with vibrant notes of bitterness.
How to make homemade chocolate orange granola
Making granola at home is super easy and quite hard to mess up. Basically, you need to mix the dry and wet ingredients, spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet pan, and bake until golden.
The only potential problem can be too hot an oven and ultimately burning the granola. Bets bet is to use an oven thermometer and keep an eye on the granola after the 15-minute mark.
If you like chunky granola texture, don’t mix it too much while still hot. Once the granola cools down, it will harden a bit and hold together better.
In this recipe, you will add the inclusions, chocolate and candied orange, immediately after baking the granola. One reason for this is that you don’t want to bake the chocolate or the candied orange. Candied orange, if baked, will dry out and get very hard, almost impossible to chew. On the other hand, there is simply no need to bake the chocolate since baked granola will melt it almost instantly.
Once the granola is done baking, place it on the counter and spread the chopped chocolate all over the granola. First, it will melt and coat the granola, and then it will start to come together again and dry out. Once it is completely dry and not sticky, it is done, and you can store it in a glass jar.
Substitutions
You can make substitutions for the nuts and seeds in the same amounts shown in the recipe. The wet ingredients are a bit harder to substitute since there should be a good ratio of liquid to sweets for the amount of dry ingredients.
Please note that if you would like to substitute the sweeteners, some are sweeter than others. Therefore, you will need to adjust accordingly to get a nice balance.
Tips & Tricks
- Use an oven thermometer to ensure the correct baking temperature and reduce the chance of burning the granola.
- Don’t mix the granola while baking if you are after larger chunks.
- Let the mixture rest for at least 15 to 30 minutes before baking. This way, the oats will soak up the sweeteners.
- Don’t bake the dried fruits but instead add them after the granola has cooled to room temperature.
Serving the granola
One of my favorite ways to serve the granola is with homemade vanilla yogurt or whole-fat cold milk.
If you like your granola crunchy, don’t leave it too long with yogurt or milk as it will suck up the liquid and not be 100% crunchy, but it will not go soggy either.
How to store granola
You can store granola once it has completely cooled down and the chocolate is not sticking to your fingers. I like to use large airtight glass jars to keep the granola. Alternatively, you can use large thicker zip-lock bags or plastic storage boxes with a rubber band on the lid.
Note that the nuts and seeds in granola contain a high percentage of oils, which can go rancid if not properly stored. Therefore, the temperature for storing should be on a cooler side, without a direct heat source.
Properly stored granola can last for months.
Other granola and oat recipes
- Homemade granola with berries and vanilla yogurt
- Cranberry kumquat baked oatmeal
- Blueberry banana baked oatmeal
- Oats, figs, and almond cookies
Homemade Chocolate Orange Granola
Equipment & Tools
- Food processor optional
- Oven thermometer optional
- Baking tray with parchment paper large
- Mixing bowl large
INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 650 g oats (small size)
- 65 g pumpkin seeds
- 50 g coca nibs
- 60 g flax seeds
- 250 g almonds
WET INGREDIENTS
- 270 g maple syrup
- 40 g honey (acacia)
- 40 g vanilla paste (Nielsen-Massey)
- 25 g olive oil (extra virgin)
- 12 g light brown sugar
- 34 g date syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 165°C.
- In the food processor combine flax seeds until coarsely chopped. Do the same with the almonds – Note 1.
- Add all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.
- In the food processor combine the wet ingredients and pulse until a nice thick paste is formed without any clumps – Note 1.
- Add the sweet wet mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Using a larger spatula mix it all until there are no dry patches of the granola mixture.
- Let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes for the sweet syrup paste to be incorporated in the oats.
- Add the granola mixture to baking pan. Level the granola so that the thickness is the same throughout the tray – Note 2.
- Bake granola for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes check the granola and using a large spatula fold granola over itself and spread it evenly. This will produce a more even golden color throughout – Note 3.
- Bake for another 15 minutes or until the granola is golden in color.
- Take it out of the oven and spread the chocolate and candied orange over the granola. Let it melt and as it cools it will coat the granola and dry out.
- Once cooled and the chocolate has set again store the granola in airtight glass jars.
NOTES
- Alternatively, run your knife through the nuts and seeds several times.
- The granola layer should not be too thick. Check that it is roughly 1 cm in thickness.
- If you want larger chunks don’t mix too much.
