Try this Chocolate Quinoa Granola recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 cups quick or old fashioned rolled oats (use certified
- 1/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder
- 1/4 cup flax seed ground (optional)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (i use organic or enjoy life)
- 1 egg, large
- 3/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- Carbohydrate 113.285706761947 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 54.7406933796044 g
- Fiber 0.0176666666666667 g
- Protein 0.00982 g
- Saturated Fat 47.1175533731633 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (227g)
- Sodium 15.527333346115 mg
- Sugar 113.26804009528 g
- Trans Fat 3.21120533604657 g
- Calories 920 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add oats, quinoa, cacao powder, flax seed, chocolate chips, salt and mix.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg and add maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Stir to combine and pour into a bowl with dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly and spread in an even layer on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake on a third rack from the bottom for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for an hour. After break into pieces and enjoy with Greek yogurt, as a cereal or as a snack.
Raw quinoa introduces a distinct, satisfying crunch to baked breakfast cereals that rolled oats alone cannot achieve, provided it undergoes sufficient thermal exposure to eliminate its natural bitterness while retaining its structural integrity. Understanding how specific components interact during the baking process ensures uniform crispness across every batch.
- Baking requires a precise oven temperature of 325 degrees F to toast the raw quinoa and oats without scorching the delicate cocoa solids present in the powder.
- Scaling the recipe upward demands proportional increases in the binding agents, specifically the egg and maple syrup, to maintain the cohesive clusters that form during the 30-minute bake time.
- Cooling the baked mixture completely on the pan for a full hour allows the melted coconut oil and sugar structure to harden fully, transforming a soft hot mixture into brittle clusters.
- Storing the cooled cereal in an airtight container at room temperature preserves its crunch for up to two weeks, preventing moisture from softening the grains.
Leftover granola that has softened slightly over time regains its original crispness when spread across a baking sheet and reheated in a 300-degree oven for five minutes. Proper sealing protects the high sugar content from absorbing ambient humidity.
