Yay for Friday! I’ve been battling a cold for almost a week now and I’m about ready to be D.O.N.E. Especially with two birthday parties and a pumpkin patch trip planned for this weekend. And laundry I’ve been putting off. And off some more. No time for sickness. (Of course, there never is…) Today though, let’s talk some breakfast deliciousness. I’ve been making this chocolate pumpkin granola on a weekly basis for over a month now. It’s so addictive and just the way I want to start the day. It’s also one of those foods, once I have it in the pantry, and I know it’s there, it calls to me. And I cannot resist the call. I grab a handful here and there and then I finally give in and just fill up a bowl. So. Freakin. Good.
So you know my love for chocolate + pumpkin, right? It’s well documented. I recently shared my pumpkin baked oatmeal with chocolate chips — another breakfast favorite – and I’ve also got my pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins, chocolate pumpkin cake, and just last week it was my banana pumpkin chocolate chip cake. Today I continue that trend with some homemade granola. I love my easy 5-ingredient granola but I’m always changing things up and trying different flavors. We’re a granola loving family through and through. Wanna know the sorta terrible reason I love giving my kids granola for an afternoon snack?
It takes them FOREVER to eat it. It’s all those small crunchy bites to pick up and chew. And all that time they sit there crunching, quietly plodding their way through a little snack container of granola? I can finish up work for my day job. Catch up on a couple of emails. Take a few minutes to prep something for dinner. Clean up the kitchen. Anything. Peace and quiet (minus the chewing). It’s awful, I know, but it’s divine. So I have granola on hand A LOT. 😉
For me, I usually eat it with some plain Greek yogurt for a morning parfait of sorts. But this chocolate pumpkin granola? I eat it on its own. By itself. Nothing with it. I don’t want anything interfering with this granola. But you feel free to add on, mix in, doctor up and fix it however you like!
I’ve made this with maple syrup and with honey. I prefer the maple syrup — it goes so well with pumpkin — but you can use honey if that’s all you have on hand. I like to add the mini chocolate chips about 5 minutes after the granola has come out of the oven, while it’s cooling on the sheet pan. This allows the chocolate chips to slowly melt and incorporate into the granola. If you wait until the granola is mostly cooled, the chocolate chips will stay intact but will sink to the bottom and be hard to scoop. That’s no fun. Be sure to check all of your ingredients carefully if you need this to be gluten free. This recipe is vegan if you use a vegan chocolate chip substitute. I use canola oil in this recipe because it helps add a bit of richness. You can omit it but the granola will be a little less well-rounded. You also can substitute coconut oil or melted butter if you prefer.
Enjoy, and have a great weekend! XO, Kathryn
I’ve made this with maple syrup and with honey. I prefer the maple syrup, but you can use honey if that’s all you have on hand. Be sure to check your ingredients carefully if you need this to be gluten free. This recipe is vegan if you use a vegan chocolate chip substitute. I use canola oil in this recipe because it helps add a bit of richness. You can omit it but the granola will be a little less well-rounded. You also can substitute coconut oil or melted butter if you prefer.
