Homemade Chocolate Granola

Homemade granola is one of my favorite things, right up there with our no-knead bread recipe. (If you have read the post on making bread, you will know that I spend a lot of time daydreaming of it.) Making granola is one of those things that not many people take the time to make because it seems difficult and tedious. It’s much easier to go out and buy it, and so most of the time that’s what ends up happening to us. But every time the golden brown oats, covered with honey and maple syrup, come out of the oven, it reminds us of how amazing and easy homemade granola can be.

Claire’s granola is unlike any granola that you will find at a store, even the fancy ones, because each of the ingredients retain their own individual flavors, but combine to give you a decadent, crunchy, aromatic bite each and every time.  What’s even better is that it doesn’t get soggy when you eat it with milk. So you don’t have to feel like you are rushing to finish your bowl. It’s the perfect breakfast for a slow Saturday morning, made even better if you have a newspaper to read and a warm cup of coffee with you while you savor every spoonful.

Preheat the oven to 300 F˚ and cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Place a small pot over medium-high heat and add the water, honey and/or maple syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt.  Stir, and bring to a simmer and cook until sugar has dissolved.  Whisk until all ingredients are mixed together.

Combine all the other ingredients except the dark chocolate in a large bowl.  Slowly mix the liquid into the dry ingredients so that the oats are evenly coated.

Divide the granola between the two cookie sheets and spread evenly.  Place the cookie sheets on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Stir the granola with a spatula every 15 minutes to ensure the edges do not burn.  After it is finished baking, let the granola cool completely.  Add the dark chocolate chunks and transfer to an air-tight container.