Name: Chocolate Covered Strawberry Granola
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 120 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted cashews; 1/2 cup unsalted almonds; 1 cup + 1/4 cup freeze dried strawberries; 2 cups rolled (old fashioned oats); 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1/4 cup + 1/3 cup chocolate chips; Optional: salt

If you’ve never made your own granola, it’s surprisingly so easy to do. And this Chocolate Covered Strawberry Granola is the perfect place to start.

This granola has it all. It’s a little sweet, a little tangy and a little salty.

It combines oats, almonds, cashews, freeze dried strawberries and chocolate. The chocolate is subtle, but you can also make this as sweet as you like.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a big granola fan. Have it with your milk of choice. Put it on top of yogurt. Eat it plain. There’s so much you can do with it!

Plus, making your own makes it so versatile. Don’t like nuts? Skip them. Want to add coconut flakes? Go for it. Want it sweeter? Add more chocolate.

And you can make as many of those big, delicious chunks as you want when you break it up. Because we all know that’s the best part.

This version uses honey, olive oil, and a little bit of chocolate as the binder for the granola. I love olive oil in granola. The flavor is subtle and super mild, but I love the way it gives the granola just a hint of that earthy taste.

If you’re not into that though, coconut oil is a great option too. It’ll add a bit more of that coconut flavor.

I’m often asked about granola because it “has sugar.” Look, here’s the thing: most cereal and granola has added sugar.

Without added sugar, they’d taste pretty bland.

I’m a dietitian, so do I want you eating spoonfuls of added sugar all day? Of course not. But is a little added sugar in your granola okay? Absolutely.

This granola isn’t super high in sugar. And, it also packs in plenty of nutrients, with fiber from the oats, fats from the oil and nuts, and some protein from the nuts, too.

Chop the almonds & cashews

Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roughly chop cashews, almonds and 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries. Add to a large bowl.

Add oats the bowl. Set aside.

Mix with the honey & olive oil mixture

In a small pot, add honey and olive oil over medium heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is combined and thin. Add in 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, continuing to stir constantly. Stir until chocolate chips and melted and smooth.

Pour honey and olive oil mixture over oats and nuts. Mix to combine, until everything is evenly covered. Add in the additional 1/3 cup chocolate chips and fold them into the mixture.

Spread onto a baking sheet

Spread the mixture on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until oats and nuts are golden and the top has hardened.

Let cool & break into pieces

Remove from the baking sheet and add the remaining freeze dried strawberries, using your hands to press it into the mixture. Optional to sprinkle with salt on top.

Let cool for about 1 hour. Then, using your hands, break into small pieces resembling granola, leaving some larger chunks as desired.

Notes

Substitutions: Swap almonds or cashews for any other nuts. Pecans, walnuts, and peanuts would all work well. Olive oil can be swapped for coconut oil.
Freeze dried strawberries: Make sure the strawberries are freeze dried and not dried. It’s an important textural difference! When you cook the granola, the flavor strawberries of the strawberries changes slightly and they taste “cooked.” If you’re not into that, wait to add all of the freeze dried strawberries until right after the granola comes out of oven.
Cooling: Make sure to let the granola cool for at least an hour! This lets it harden so that you can break it up into small pieces and chunks.
Storage: Store granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Course: Breakfast, Snack