Making your own granola is one of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen!

Not only is it quick and simple, but it’s also much healthier and more cost-effective. Most store-bought brands have questionable oils and lots of refined sugar added and the healthier ones are often quite expensive.

That’s why I prefer to make my own. It gives me total control over the ingredients, plus I get to play around with different nuts, seeds, and spices each time and come up with delightful seasonal flavors.

Currently, with the Christmas holidays upon us, I’ve been obsessing over gingerbread everything! I guess that explains why I’ve been making this gingerbread granola over and over again for the past month.

Now I asked myself last time, what’s even better than gingerbread, and the obvious answer was CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD, duh! So I added raw cacao powder and cacao nibs for a delicious chocolate flavor, not to mention an extra boost of magnesium and antioxidants.

I personally prefer a less sweet and stronger, more bitter granola, so when making it for myself I replace the maple syrup with blackstrap molasses. Molasses has a moderate glycemic load of 55, meaning it’s a better choice than refined sugar and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels as much. It contains high levels of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron, and selenium.

Chocolate Gingerbread Granola - Nutriholist

Feel free to change up the nuts, seeds, or spices to your liking and experiment. It’s hard to mess things up as long as you stick to the same ratios. If you like your granola to be chunky like I do, make sure not to touch it and break it up while it’s still hot. Let it cool down completely and then you can either cut the granola into bars or break it up into chunky clusters.

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy granola are with organic Greek or coconut yogurt, mixed with coconut milk and fruits, and topped on smoothies and nice creams. Hope you get to try and enjoy it! I’d love to hear your thoughts and share your creations, so don’t forget to leave a comment below or tag me @nutriholist on Instagram or Facebook if you make this recipe.

Chocolate Gingerbread Granola

Yields 5 cups

Ingredients

Dry

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup almonds, whole or chopped
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/4 cup raw cacao nibs
  • 4 tablespoons cacao powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon allspice

Wet

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses {See Note}
  • 4 tablespoons cup pure maple syrup

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 F (162 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir to fully combine
  3. Spread the mixture evenly onto the lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20-23 minutes until golden around the edges, turning the tray halfway through. Keep a close eye on the granola towards the end to make sure it doesn’t burn
  4. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before breaking it into chunks

NOTE: If you prefer stronger molasses taste and less sweet, more bitter “dark chocolatey” flavors, omit maple syrup altogether and use 6 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses instead.