Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola Recipe

I was never a huge fan of granola until recently.  

Most people, including store bought kinds, usually put nuts in their granola.  I am not a fan of nuts.  It's a texture thing.  I fully love the flavor of nuts though - peanut butter, hazelnut flavor, almond flavor.  All great. 

Peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc?  Not so much. 

A few weeks ago, I was bored, and decided to bake something.  I always have a big thing of oats on hand for overnight oats, so I decided to try my hand at making granola.  I rifled through the cabinets and came up with a simple, yummy, Megan-approved granola recipe. 

I ate it by the handful for a quick and easy snack, and I added some to Greek yogurt for a yummy breakfast. Once we finished the first batch, I made another.  It's just so yum!

If you're more adventurous than I, you could always add in some nuts, seeds, or dried fruit. 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 packet ground flax
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil.  Note: a baking sheet with a lip works best for this recipe.
3. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flax, cinnamon, and ginger.  
4. In a separate bowl, combine peanut butter (can use chunky or smooth.  I obviously prefer smooth.), honey, molasses, and oil.  
5. Add peanut butter mixture to oat mixture.  Stir until fully combined. 
6. Spread mixture on to prepared baking sheet.  
7. Bake mixture, stirring every 10 minutes or so for even baking, until mixture begins to dry, about 20-25 minutes.  
8. Add cranberries and raisins and bake for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely.  
10. Add mini chocolate chips. 
11. Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container. 

Enjoy!