Chocolate Granola With Pistachios, Almonds and Dried Currants

1/2

Chocolate granola with pistachios, almonds and dried currants served with almond yogurt and apricot
2/2

Chocolate granola

Text, photos and food cooked by Michal Martinek

Jun 19, 2018

Print this recipe

Chocolate Granola With Pistachios, Almonds and Dried Currants

I’m pretty picky about my granola, and there are a few particular characteristics that will make me spit it out and not eat it: sugar-loaded, greasy, dusty and loose. Also, unequal textures that require longer chewing than the rest of your bite—like giant nuts or leathery dates, for example—your jaw is still chewing at full throttle while everything else already proceeded to your stomach. Hold the sesame seeds, too (they get stuck to my teeth), and give the raisins to someone else, please (I hate them).

But I love chocolate; I love it in combination with oranges. I love buttery pistachios and lightly bitter almonds together. I love how brown sugar perfectly meshes with maple syrup, resulting in an intense, molasses-like taste. I love cinnamon on everything.

Those were my points of reference when creating this recipe, and I’m really happy with the result: crispy, subtly sweet, chocolaty, orange-flavored clusters of caramelized oats and nuts. I am calling for dried currants to be mixed in at the end, as I think their distinct sourness and tiny size perfectly balance out the granola’s overall taste.

Some granola recipes make you stand by the oven and turn it frequently so it doesn’t burn. None of that nonsense. All you have to do in this version is to pack the mixture tightly and evenly in a rimmed baking sheet (mine measures 15.5 x 11.5 inches), and let it bake in the oven. You will end up with a compact mass that you’ll break up into small chunks once it cools.

O

Yields 10 cups
4½ cups old-fashioned (gluten-free) rolled oats
1 cup cocoa
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
1 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons orange flavor
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ cups melted coconut oil
1 cup dried currants

1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet (15.5 x 11.5 inches) with parchment paper. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position.

2

In a large bowl, mix the oats with cocoa, almonds and pistachios.

3

In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, maple syrup, orange flavor, salt, cinnamon and coconut oil. Add the mixture to the oats and, using a wooden spoon, combine until completely blended.

4

Using a wooden spoon, press the mixture into the baking sheet to create an even, compact layer. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

5

Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Break up the granola into chunks, and mix in the currants. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.