The greatest flavour combination in the world, now in granola. With extra clusters! Crunchy, nutty and very addictive, homemade granola is ridiculously easy to make and endlessly versatile. This version has dessert-y vibes with the cocoa and peanut butter pairing, plus honey and sliced almonds for more flavour and crunch. It keeps well, makes a generous amount and works as breakfast, a dessert topping and a grab-and-go snack.

Granola forms clumps when it’s pressed firmly together before and after baking. But for super clumpy granola that forms solid clusters, egg whites are sometimes used, or even a little wholewheat flour. For me though, the most obvious thing to do was add more liquid ingredients and cut back on the dry ingredients. That way, the oats stick together really well and retain their structure when you break apart the granola.

You will have a combination of crisp clusters and some loose granola where they may be less clumping, they’re both great! I store them in different boxes so I can munch on the clusters as is and use the rest as a cereal. I hope you enjoy this 🙂

Please read the recipe notes before beginning.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

Super easy, crunchy granola with clusters

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 35

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Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (see notes)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 and 1/2 tbsps cocoa powder
1/4 tsp of salt if using unsalted peanut butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150 C and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or wax paper.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, peanut butter and vanilla.
Add the oats, almonds, cocoa powder and salt. Fold very well with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, making sure every inch of the mixture is coated.
Tip the mixture onto the baking tray and spread it out in an even layer, but pressed together firmly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes when the edges will have darkened, then gently stir and flip the granola to ensure even cooking. Clusters may have started to form already, so just move them around without breaking them up. Drizzle the granola with an extra tablespoon of honey to encourage more 'clumping' and then continue baking for another 15 minutes until evenly browned and fragrant.
Allow the baked granola to cool. As it cools, it will firm up more. Once completely cooled, break into smaller clumps or clusters. I store the clusters in one box and the remaining loose granola in another, to eat as cereal or with yoghurt.
Store in an airtight jar at room temperature for about a week (in humid weather, longer in dry weather), or refrigerate for a month and freeze for even longer. Eat the clusters by the handful!

Notes

Shop this recipe: Rolled Oats, Peanut Butter, Cocoa, Honey, Olive Oil, Sliced Almonds

*In granola, a drippy, natural nut butter is always best and creamy or crunchy are ok here. Processed nut butters are pre-sweetened and too thick to stir in easily.

*This is not a super sweet granola but if you prefer, you can increase the honey/maple syrup to 1/2 cup.

*You can use coconut oil and chopped cashews instead of almonds like I did recently, with no other changes to the recipe. And of course you can use another nut butter too.

*Rolled oats or whole oats are essential for the right texture. Instant oats are not recommended.

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