I must warn you, this granola is seriously addictive! It all starts with an innocent hand full. And then another, and another…until you have no idea how much you have really eaten. Not that I would know from personal experience. Okay, confession time. I came home from the gym yesterday and kept nibbling while taking pictures of this granola. I did just burn over 1200 calories so it can’t be too bad can it?!

Our family loves granola, it’s so versatile. Have it in a bowl with milk for breakfast, or any other time of day for that matter. Put it on top of some yogurt. Eat it plain by the hand full, dangerous if not careful! Hmm, how about on some seasonal ice cream? Eggnog or cinnamon ice cream maybe. So many possibilities.

All the flavors of traditional gingerbread men are present in this granola. For a fun twist I added dark chocolate. Some dark chocolate cocoa powder gives the granola a hint of chocolate and the chips melt in your mouth. I just love dark chocolate, especially with cinnamon. I also used both fresh ginger and powdered ginger to give it that extra flavor punch. The maple syrup and molasses sweeten it all up and keep in the wintery flavor profile.

This granola will fill your home with all the scents of the holidays while it is in the oven. All that aroma for little effort. This is so much easier than making gingerbread men! When it comes out of the oven and cools it will be a huge chunk of granola. When you break it up you can keep some big chunks, that is my favorite part! Add some dark chocolate and the flavor combination is perfect. It would be the perfect gift for teachers or neighbors. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Dark Chocolate Gingerbread Granola
1/2 c. coconut oil, liquid form
1/3 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. fresh minced ginger
2 Tbs. dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
Pinch of salt
4 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1 c. slivered almonds (any raw nut would work)
1 c. dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and place Silpat or parchment paper on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.

Whisk together the oil, syrup, molasses and vanilla. Add in the ginger (fresh and powdered), cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Using a large wooden spoon stir in the oats and nuts. Spread onto the prepared pan in as thin a layer as possible. Bake for 50-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Once it is done allow to cool at room temperature. Add the chocolate chips, break up chunks of granola or mix it all into smaller pieces and store in an air tight container.

Yields approximately 8 cups