Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Chocolate peanut butter granola is sweet, salty, and perfectly crunchy! Use it to top yogurt or serve with ice cold milk.

I have to say, I couldn’t be more excited to share this recipe. This is one of those weekend projects that ended up turning out so well, I had to photograph it.

Sometimes I follow a recipe. Other times I make something up and just hope for the best. This crunchy chocolate peanut butter granola was the latter and I loved it so much that I wanted to give you a formal recipe.

Ingredients

The best part about this one is you don’t need anything out of the ordinary to make it. Most of these items are pantry staples that you probably have on hand (or can easily find). Here’s what you need:

• Rolled oats (not quick or steel cut). I’ve found that “extra-thick” rolled oats work really well for granola, but they’re also more expensive and harder to find so I don’t always have them on hand. For this I used the classic old-fashioned rolled oats from the canister.
• Peanuts (roasted unsalted). If you have salted, give them a go but cut back on added salt.
• Chocolate chips (dark or bittersweet). I love the depth of flavor in this recipe because of the unsweet cacao powder and bittersweet chips. Use whatever you have and love.
• Unsweetened cacao powder. Wondering if you can use cocoa powder instead? Read this for a good overview on the differences. Since the amount is so small here and granola is pretty forgiving, I think either would work as long as it’s unsweetened.
• Olive oil. I wasn’t able to detect any olive because of the strong chocolate/peanut butter flavors. It also helps with the crunch factor.
• Natural peanut butter. I’ve also used the classic no-stir variety and it worked.
• Pure maple syrup. Liquid sweetener blends well with the other liquid ingredients.
• Vanilla extract & sea salt for added flavor.

How to Make Crunchy Granola

Granola is usually a mixture of oats, spices, nuts/seeds and dried fruit coated with oil and sweetener and then baked until crispy. Because of these added ingredients, it’s more nutrient/energy dense that your standard oats but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Granola is super satisfying and a little goes a long way.

Here’s the basic set of steps to follow when making it:

1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Mix liquid ingredients separately.
3. Combine and stir everything until oats are thoroughly coated.
4. Spread on a lined sheet pan and bake on a lower heat (300 degrees).
5. Cool completely (very important! you don’t want the chips to melt into a gooey mess)
6. Add mix-ins.

There’s no shortage of ways to serve this but my favorite is with ice cold milk or with yogurt, topped with banana slices or blueberries. You can also use it on oatmeal, to top a smoothie bowl, or eat straight up by the handful.

It’s nearly impossible to mess up granola and there are so many ways you can customize the flavors, so it’s a great baking project. The hands-on time is minimal and it will make your house smell amazing too.

You might also like:

• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Espresso Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate
• Salted Tahini Brownies (Small Batch)

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This post was originally published in April 2020. Photos were updated July 2021.