Today, I’d like to share another of my family’s favourite granola recipes. Filled with hazelnuts, pecans, cranberries and chocolatey goodness, this granola is perfect for this season.
My garden is bordered by cob nut trees, and this year they produced the most amazing crop. I made a deal with the squirrels whereby I would collect nuts from the low hanging branches, and they could have the rest. They then got to work, burying nuts all over my lawn and flower beds, and in my plant pots. Invariably they forget where they’ve buried them and we end up with nut trees growing literally everywhere!
Once they’ve matured, cob nuts are very similar in taste and texture to hazelnuts, so I put them to good use in recipes, like this granola!
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Lil’ L loves home-made granola, especially when it’s formed into clusters. It’s so easy to make. You simple press down the mixture as if you’re making a thin granola bar then, once completely cooled, you break it into clusters.
As well as oats, I Iove to add buckwheat into the granola which adds some lovely crunch as well as more great nutrients. The name ‘buckwheat’ is pretty misleading as it’s actually a fruit seed and doesn’t contain any wheat at all! It is a good source of protein, dietary fibre, antioxidant phytonutrients, B vitamins and minerals. In the UK, buckwheat is currently available in some of the larger supermarkets (Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado), health food stores and online.
Our favourite sweetener for granola is maple syrup. This adds a delicious caramel-like sweetness, rather than a ‘sugary’ flavour. I use Clarks Original Maple Syrup, which is a blend of maple and carob syrups. It’s widely available in the UK, and a fair bit cheaper than pure maple syrup. I really like its flavour and consistency, which is slightly thicker than the pure grade syrup.
These granola clusters make wonderful breakfasts, snacks and desserts. For breakfast, we like to serve them with plant milk or non-dairy yogurt. For an omega-3 boost, I often add a light sprinkling of ground linseed and finely chopped walnuts before serving. I also sprinkle in a few extra cranberries to brighten up the bowl.
Layered with yogurt and fresh or frozen fruits, the clusters also make a delicious dessert or after-school snack. They look really fancy yet take literally seconds to throw together!
Chocolate Granola Clusters with Hazelnuts, Pecans and Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
- 300 g / 3 cups rolled oats
- 100 g / ½ cup raw buckwheat (or you can substitute with more oats)
- 30 g / 4 TBSP cocoa powder
- 30 g / 3 TBSP coconut sugar or unrefined caster sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 75 g / ½ cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
- 65 g / ½ cup pecans roughly chopped
- 70 g / ½ cup dried cranberries (preferably sweetened with fruit juice)
- 150 ml / ½ cup maple syrup*
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 45 g / 3 TBSP virgin coconut oil melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150C (130C fan) / 300F. Line a large baking tray (38 x 26cm / 15 x 10 inches) with non-stick baking paper. If your coconut oil is solid, place in the oven in a heat-proof bowl for a couple of minutes until it has liquefied. Be careful when removing the bowl as it will be very hot!
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, buckwheat, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Stir in the nuts. You can also stir in the cranberries at this stage or, if you'd like to preserve their vibrant colour, add them to the granola once it's baked.
- Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla extract, and stir until all the grains become coated and shiny. Add the coconut oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread the granola out evenly on the prepared baking tray. Press down firmly with a silicone spatula so that the mixture sticks together as if you were making a thin granola bar.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. (The granola will firm up as it cools). Once completely cooled, break up the granola. The clusters from the centre of the tray may still feel a little soft when fresh baked but I find they firm up and become crunchy over time. Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, the granola will last for weeks.
Notes
If you make this granola, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media and they will find their way to me. You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
With love
I can’t wait to go get the ingredients for this tomorrow and have yummy breakfast with it! How do you store it, and how long is it good for? Thanks!
Hey Keisha! Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, it will last for a good month… but I doubt it will hang around that long!! It’s so yummy! 😋
I love granola in clusters, too!! This looks sooo yummy! Lucky you with your abundance of nut trees!!!
That’s so awesome you had nut trees growing at the bottom of your garden – did you have any pictures of the nut trees? I would love to know how to grow them… These nuts look lovely and what a great idea to use them in granola! I would like to try to make my own granola bars or clusters… Me too, maple syrup is the best sweetener for everything
What!…Truly delicious, I have to say.
Can I just say that I saw this granola tray coming out of the oven at Sharon’s house. I secretively tried a bit….but you would never say from the pic! 🙂 xx
Ha you are so busted! I’ve uploaded the photographic evidence. Check this post again 😉
Oh those clusters look so good! Lucky you with the nut tree!
How wonderful that you have your own nut trees. I’ve never had cob nuts! I love hazelnuts though so am sure I’d enjoy them. I’m certain I’d enjoy this granola too 🙂
/mmm I’m looking forward to trying this. I think I’m going to have to get your squirrels to talk to my squirrels before next year though. Maybe it’s because my trees are still too small and there aren’t any high nuts…
I reckon it’s down the sheer volume of trees that the cheeky squirrels have managed to plant over the years… there’s got to be about fifty in total, so plenty to go round 🙂
So pleased you like the look of the granola. It’s one of my faves!
Looks delicious Sharon. I adore homemade granola!
How cool to have free cob nuts too!
Thanks Emma ♥
This looks fantastic Sharon! I wish I had nut trees growing at the bottom of my garden!
I’ll try this soon!
Thanks Vicky ♥ Nut trees are fab, but best located at the bottom of the garden… we’ve got them growing out the front lawn, back lawn, in all our flower pots. Our squirrels must have terrible memories 😉