Dark Chocolate Granola & Strawberry Parfait

Makes: About 6 Cups of Granola

Prep Time: 15-minutes; Cook Time: 30 mintues

Total Time: 45-minutes

Recipe developed by: Shannon Costello, RDN, LD with CFW

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Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate Granola:

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup raw nuts of choice* (walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts go well)
  • ¼ cup chia seeds
  • ½ ripe banana
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (or other neutral-flavored cooking oil)
  • ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ - ½ cup dark chocolate chips

*For nut allergies, use sunflower seeds in lieu of nuts

Parfait:

  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Sliced strawberries
  • Dark chocolate granola (from above)
  • Slivered or chopped nuts of choice (or seeds)

Preparation Instructions:

  1. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Add rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and chia seeds to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
  4. Place banana, coconut oil, maple syrup/honey, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, and cinnamon in a small blender. Blend until smooth and creamy using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides occasionally.
  5. Add wet ingredients to bowl of dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to help remove all wet ingredients from blender. Using the spatula, mix wet ingredients into dry until well coated.
  6. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and spread granola out to a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and use a spatula or spoon to mix ingredients again and re-spread to a single layer. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the oats have turned a golden brown and the nuts look lightly toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
  7. Sprinkle chocolate chips into the granola and gently mix. The chocolate may melt from the warm pan. This is okay as the melted chocolate will re-harden as the granola continues to cool. The longer it cools, the crunchier the granola will be.
  8. To assemble the parfait, alternate layering Greek yogurt, strawberries, and granola in a bowl or parfait cup using desired quantities of each ingredient. Sprinkle with additional roasted nuts. Enjoy!