Chocolate and orange granola

If you could take Christmas and close it inside the jar – it would smell exactly like this chocolate and orange granola. Rich and deep scent of orange with some notes of cinnamon and chocolate. A perfect gift for your loved ones.

I might have not invented granola as an edible gift but I sure will take a credit for this chocolate and orange granola recipe! Now all mornings can smell like Christmas. But if you don’t really care about the smell of Christmas, at least you can never resist chocolate. Fragrant, crunchy, very orangey granola with pieces of dark chocolate and the notes of cinnamon will not only quickly solve the “What to eat” problem, but will also turn your mornings into a little celebration. Also, it is a perfect solution when you need an edible gift idea what does not require much effort but is rather impressive.

Since orange and chocolate granola can be kept inside the air tight jar for up to 3 weeks it is even a better gift as it doesn’t expire quickly. You can make one batch to surprise them all! Although, better make two and keep some for your breakfast! Trust me you’ll want to keep some for yourself.

The magic of dried oranges

The recipe of chocolate and orange granola already includes the grated peel from orange but I strongly suggest you add some dried orange pieces on top once you fill the jar. It will infuse granola even more, and also looks cute when you open the jar. I tried to dry oranges inside the oven (hello the expensive electricity bill), and I also got some oranges which were dried by using food dehydrator. The difference is obvious as the second batch of oranges kept much better colour and stronger scent. Thus, if you have an option, I very much suggest to get some oranges which is dried in the food dehydrator.

Ingredients

• 450 g oats (jumbo or
• 150 g unroasted buckwheat
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 4 tbsp coconut oil (neutral)
• zest of 3 big oranges (grated)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 120 g dark chocolate (vegan)
• some dried orange slices

Orange and chocolate granola step-by-step

1. Preheat oven up to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Add oats, buckwheat, cinnamon and salt into a bowl.
3. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and orange zest to the small pot and heat will it melts and combines together.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix well to get all the oats covered.
5. Transfer onto the baking sheet lined with a parchment paper.
6. Spread it evenly and keep the level low. (I use 2 baking sheets since mine is quite small)
7. Bake for 20 minutes, take out and give it a good stir.
8. Put back and bake for another 20 minutes. You might need to stir it once again during this time.
9. Take it off and allow to cool down completely.
10. Chop the chocolate into the small pieces, add to granola and mix together.
11. Transfer to the jars of choice and add the dried orange pieces on top. It will infuse granola with the orange scent even more!
    

Notes:

Depending on your oven type you might need to adjust the temperature a bit. Granola needs to become golden but not burned. Keep in mind that the orange peel might bake quicker than the rest, so you might need to keep on stirring while baking. This recipe ant the amount of ingredients listed is enough to fill 3 of 0.5 litre jars and you will have some left for your breakfast too. 🙂 You can keep chocolate and orange granola inside the air tight container somewhere dry, an it will lasts up to 3 weeks.