Have you guys seen those Purely Elizabeth cookie granolas popping up on grocery store shelves lately? Intriguing, right? I mean, cookie granola? It’s like they’re reading my mind! Of course, I had to try them, and they were pretty darn delicious. But you know me, I can’t resist a good kitchen challenge, and I knew I could create a homemade version that was even better (and healthier!).
So, I set out on a mission to develop a small-batch chocolate cookie granola that would rival anything I could find in a store. Instead of loading it up with chocolate chips, I decided to go for a more wholesome approach. Think nutritious nuts and seeds, less sugar, and more fiber – all while maintaining that irresistible chocolate cookie flavor.
And let me tell you, this granola delivers! It bakes up into the biggest, crunchiest clusters imaginable, and it legit tastes like you’re having cookies for breakfast.
Now, I’ll admit, I briefly considered shaping the granola into actual cookies. But my wise daughter, Austen, quickly put the brakes on that idea. “Granola seems more like a breakfast food, Mom,” she declared. And you know what? She was right. Cookies for breakfast is a slippery slope I’m not willing to slide down (most days, anyway!).
One of the things I love about this recipe is that it’s small-batch. It makes just enough for a couple of days, which means we can experiment with different mix-ins and flavor combinations every time we make it. Variety is the spice of life, right?
So, ditch the sugary cereal and give this small-batch chocolate cookie granola a try. Don’t forget to let me know what you think!
Small-batch Chocolate Cookie Granola
Equipment
- Standard loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips (28 g) or chopped chocolate
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (14 g) sub nut/seed butter or any other oil or (plant) butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (21 g)
- pinch of salt, drop of vanilla
- 1 cup oats (80 g) I used half rolled half quick oats but both will work
- 3 tbsp flour, gf if desired (21 g) I used oat flour, sub half of this for flax seed meal for a nutritional boost!
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts/seeds, or chocolate chips (28 g) I used hazelnuts and some pumpkins seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line your loaf pan with parchment.
- In a medium bowl microwave chocolate and oil 30 sec at a time and stirring in between until all chocolate is melted. Stir in maple syrup, pinch of salt and a drop of vanilla.
- Add your oats, flour, nuts/seeds and mix to combine. Make sure all oats are coated.
- Pour this into the baking dish, gently tuck it in but don't press it down hard or you'll bake granola bars instead 🙂 I got the best crunchy clusters when I left it somewhat loose in the pan (unfortunately not as pictured here LOL).
- Bake for 25 minutes until golden on top.
- Let granola cool completely (at least 1 hour, ideally refrigerate overnight) before removing from the baking dish and breaking up into clusters.
- Store in a sealed container. Enjoy!
