Hot Chocolate Granola

When the weather gets cold, I like nothing better than to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate. It warms me up, down to my bones, but it isn’t very filling. So I turned my morning granola into the same heart-warming flavor, except that in granola form, it actually fills me up.

The great thing about granola is that it is such a super-duper flexible recipe. Most of these ingredients are easily switched out for something else, if you don’t happen to have that specific item on hand. I’d keep the 2 cups of oats for the basic structure, but the other grains are all interchangeable. Any kind of puffed or flaked cereal will work, or better yet, nuts and seeds! (We avoid all nuts and some seeds around here because of allergies and whatnot.) Wheat germ or oat bran can replace the flax seed, and I imagine chia seeds would work as well (although I’ve never actually worked with chia seeds, so could be wrong on that!). Any kind of oil will work, but I particularly recommend olive or coconut oil. Maple syrup or some other sweetener can replace the honey; just keep the volume the same.

Granola is QUICK enough that I make a batch every other week (or every week if we go through it very quickly). It’s certainly a QUICK breakfast once you’ve got a batch made: just as quick as cold cereal.

Stir and bake: it’s that EASY.

Making it yourself is so much CHEAPer than buying storebought granola. In my experience, store-bought granola costs at least several dollars a pound for the cheapest varieties and rarely goes on sale. Plus, who knows how long the box has been sitting on the shelf; it’s doubtful that it’s fresh!

Granola makes a pretty HEALTHY breakfast if you augment it with some protein and a serving or two of fresh fruit. It’s got complex carbs that give you energy to face your day!

Sharing at Tastetastic Thursday, Katherine Martinelli’s, and…