Recipe – Gluten and dairy free, berry nice chocolate chip granola!

It’s National Chocolate Week! So it would be wrong if I didn’t post a recipe that had something chocolatey in it right? Right. However, as I am still low sugar, I wanted to make something that tasted naughty but actually isn’t too sugary. So I have come up with this granola recipe to tickle your taste buds in the mornings. Of course it is gluten and dairy free, and also suitable for vegans 🙂

When I think of chocolate these days, I obviously think of dark chocolate, and when I was thinking of what goes well with dark chocolate I thought ‘What goes better with dark chocolate than cherries?’ and the answer of course was not much! Maybe orange, but it’s too close to call!

Then I instantly thought of almonds and suddenly I had the idea of cherry, almond and dark chocolate chip granola, but I couldn’t find enough cherries to my liking that wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg so it turned into cherries, cranberries and blueberries. I also can’t bear to not put pecans in my granola, so chucked them in too, and some pumpkin seeds for a bit of colour.

What I was left with was a rather lovely little granola recipe that I am just dying to share with you all, so here goes!

Gluten and dairy free, berry nice chocolate chip granola

Ingredients – Makes 850g – 1kg

• 100ml maple syrup (or you can use honey/agave syrup)
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 250g gluten free oats
• 100g pecans
• 100g almonds
• 50g pumpkin seeds
• 200g mixed berries, I went with cherries, cranberries and blueberries
• 100g dark chocolate chips (dairy free of course!) – you could replace with a few cacao nibs if you like!

Method

Preheat the oven the to gas mark 4 (180 degrees). Pop the maple syrup and coconut oil into a small saucepan and heat over a gentle heat until oil has melted and the oil and syrup are combined.

Meanwhile mix the oats, nuts and seeds together in a large mixing bowl. I choose to leave my nuts whole, and I like it this way, plus chopping them also hurts my hands because of my fibromyalgia, but if you like your chopped then go ahead! Pour the melted oil and maple syrup over the mixture and give it a good stir until all the mix is well coated with the oil and syrup.

Line a baking sheet with some baking parchment and spread the granola mixture onto the tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, removing to turn the mixture over every five minutes or so, this way the bottom won’t burn!

Leave to cool completely on the tray. When you first take the granola out of the oven it will still be soft, but as it cools it goes all nice and crunchy. Once completely cool, place into a large mixing bowl and mix in your berries and chocolate chips so that all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Enjoy! I personally love to eat my granola with some thick coconut yoghurt, and if I’m feeling really fancy I might chuck some fruit compote on too, but you could also enjoy with some nice cold non dairy milk. Or maybe even sprinkle over some porridge (imagine the dark chocolate going all melty, yum!)

I hope you have enjoyed this recipe, do leave your comments down below should you so wish 🙂 or pop over and say hello on social media. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. also don’t forget to check out my other recipes here!

Toodle Pip!