The kids are back in school! The kids are back in schoo-oo-oo-oool! (to the tune of “The boys are back in town”) It is SUCH a good thing that you’re doing that in your head (or maybe outloud too?!?!) instead of being here with me. It’s outloud for me–and I’m getting some strange looks! 😉
Now that the kids are back in school, we need to get back into regular routines and scheduling. That means no more lazy mornings with kids in pajamas and breakfast whenever we get to it. Of course, a quick easy breakfast option is always cereal, but who wants plain ol’ cereal if you can have something else crunchy, sweet, and chocolatey and that packs a bit of a health punch? We do, we do!
Lucky for me (and this granola), dried cranberries have been on sale in the bulk section, so we stocked up! This makes such a nice combo with the deep flavor of the chocolate and the tartness of the cranberries. And for some reason, I feel really good when I can incorporate something so good for you, like flax seeds. In my mind, they totally negate the chocolate chips. They do, don’t they?
Even though the kids have only been back in school for a few days, we’re already on the crumbs of the granola. Some people would say that it’s because there’s so many little mouths eating it, but I’ve been on this ride too long! We make double and triple batches of everything—and you know when something is good—it disappears! I literally had to fight my little photo-bomber off of the granola so that I could take some pictures. As soon as I was done, he dove into that bowl like nobody’s business! Makes a mamma feel good 🙂
Cranberry Chocolate Granola
Ingredients
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
½ cup flax seeds
½ cup cocoa powder
⅓ cup melted coconut oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 TBSP maple syrup
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
¼ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, and flax seeds.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup, and brown sugar until smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over the oat mixture in the large bowl and stir until all the oats are coated.
4. Distribute evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, then stir and bake another 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven again and allow granola to cool completely in the pan without stirring. It will harden/crunch up as it cools.
7. Once cooled completely, add in mini chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.
We love having batches of granola and other quick breakfast treats around, especially now that we’re back in school! What’s your favorite breakfast for a speedy morning?
It's Truly Scrumptious! 