Ever paid over $6 for a tiny box of cereal, and then witnessed that the contents in the tiny box only fed three people one small serving? As delicious and convenient as the box of Dark Chocolate Almond Granola was from Cascadian Farm – that is one pricey breakfast.
I actually got a box of this cereal with some Vitacost credit I had – just to try it. It was a huge hit in our family. That’s what made me decide that surely I could figure out a similar recipe and make my own. Besides, I like the idea of eating chocolate for breakfast. What a way to start the day. :)
The result of my experimenting turned out delicious! I did a little rough math to determine how much money I saved. These aren’t the cheapest of ingredients, but they are hearty and can stick to the ribs. I found that I cut the cost from over $2 per serving to around 75¢ per serving – even using mostly organic ingredients.
What I love best is that this is a recipe that can be made ahead of time for a quick meal or snack. (It’s a perfect recipe to work into your Getting Ahead in the Kitchen routine.)
Dark Chocolate Almond Granola
- 4 cups rolled oats
- ¾ cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- ¾ cup honey
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
- In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil and honey together.
- Stir oats, shredded coconut, and slivered almonds together in a large bowl.
- Drizzle on the honey/coconut oil mixture and stir well.
- Pour mixture onto a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or two 9x13 inch dishes).
- Bake at 300° for 35-45 minutes, stirring after the first 20 minutes.
- Allow mixture to cool.
- Stir in dark chocolate chunks.
- Store granola in an air-tight container.
- Makes 12-14 servings.
You may have noticed that this recipe is in the Healthy Breakfast Made Simple eBook. Haven’t downloaded that yet? Get it here for free!
Just a couple of days left in our Getting Ahead for Breakfast Challenge. How’s it going for you? Have you made some breakfast foods ahead to save you the effort in the morning?
Looking for more meals on our Real Food Dollar Menu? Here are the recipes I’ve shared so far:
