Dark Chocolate Covered Granola, Gluten Free
I have loved these Dark Chocolate Granola Thins since I discovered them almost two years ago. Â They have been off my radar for awhile now (considering I am trying to be gluten free and stick to my diet!), until Friday when I saw them on sale, buy one get one free, at the grocery store.
I bought them (of course!) thinking my son might enjoy them. Â That was wishful thinking on my part… I broke down and had not one but two when I got home (you would be proud of me, I did write them in my food diary and, hey, they are only 80 calories per square.)
*Update as of June 0f 2019 I have not seen them in the store so I can only assume they have been discontinued. Luckily, we can make our own!
I decided that I had to come up with a gluten free version of this delicious snack. Â I spent all weekend baking combinations of granola and chocolate. Â I tried bittersweet, semi-sweet and dark chocolate, with thinner to thicker layers of granola. Â The hardest part was cutting them into perfect squares and/or rectangles. I tried cutting the granola before and after spreading the chocolate but, always came up with uneven and cracked pieces.
The hard part is cutting the granola into squares! Any suggestions?
I am still perfecting the recipe, but I have to tell you that regardless of the shape of the bars, they are delicious! Â Our son preferred the semi-sweet, I loved the dark chocolate (go figure!) and my husband liked both. Â I am bringing a big batch of them in to the office to see what the gang likes. Â They are certainly not 80 calories a piece, but they are so worth every bite. Enjoy!
Dark Chocolate Covered Granola, Gluten Free
Servings: 15
Ingredients
- â…“ cup raw unsalted Almonds
- â…“ cup raw unsalted Cashews
- â…“ cup raw unsalted Pecans
- 2 cups Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats I used Bob’s Old Fashioned Rolled Oats Gluten Free
- 2 cups Gluten Free Puffed Rice I used Barbaras Crispy Brown Rice Crisps
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 5 tablespoons virgin coconut oil melted
- 10 oz Nestle Dark really rich! or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°, line rimmed quarter (9 x 13 x 1) baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor grind very well almonds, cashews and pecans
- In a bowl combine ground nuts, oats, puffed rice, sugar, honey, canola oil and coconut oil.
- Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into even layer. Cover with sheet of parchment paper and place another rimmed quarter baking sheet on top of the parchment paper. Push down on the top baking sheet to compress the mixture, making it smooth and compacted.
- Remove baking sheet and parchment paper. Place baking sheet in the center of the oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove baking sheet from the oven. Let cool.
- Melt chocolate in a microwavable dish. Heat for 30 seconds, stir and cook for another 30 seconds stir until smooth
- Pour chocolate over granola mixture, spread evenly with an offset icing knife. Let cool completely until chocolate hardens. I put in the freezer to speed up the process.
- Cut into squares or break up into pieces.
- Store in an airtight container.
Notes
The granola is delicious on its own without chocolate and much healthier! The semi-sweet chocolate isn’t as rich and more people preferred that in the office taste test.