This chocolate coconut granola is a real treat! It’s free of refined sugars and is made from wholesome, unprocessed ingredients. I personally love having this on top of some yogurt for a healthier dessert option. Try adding in some banana or strawberry slices too! Feel free to get creative with this recipe - for example, add walnuts or almonds in place of pumpkin seeds if that’s your preference. Also, to make it even more decadent, once it’s cooled, add in some chocolate chips!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup of coconut oil
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup cacao powder (unsweetened)
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to mix together.
Over low heat, in a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil. Add in maple syrup, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Once combined, remove from heat.
Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl with the oats. Stir to combine. Spread oat mixture onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake for 25 min. Let cool.
Health Benefits of Coconut:
They are an excellent source of healthy fats, which our body needs to support a healthy metabolism, brain health, hormone production, and vitamin absorption (for vitamins A, D, E, and K).
Most of the fats in coconut are medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are used by your body to produce energy.
It is an excellent source of manganese, which is essential for brain and nervous system functioning.
It’s a good source of insoluble fiber, helping to regularize bowel movements.
Just remember, coconut is high in fat and in calorie-dense, so we don’t need a ton of it in our everyday diet!
Sources and additional reading:
