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This Chocolate Peppermint Granola recipe is made with old fashioned oats, quinoa flakes, cocoa powder and a bit of peppermint extract. Add yogurt to create a delicious parfait!
A RECIPE. Like, an actual recipe?! Yes, it’s true. It’s an easy one, but man oh man is it good. Also—and I know this is simply a matter of opinion—but chocolate peppermint is so much better than pumpkin.
Yeah, I said it.
I prefer it my coffee and the few times I drink hot chocolate and well, I just think peppermint makes everything taste like Christmas. And since we’re somehow two weeks away (??!!), I figured I’d better make something Christmas-y. I know, I know, granola hardly screams “holiday recipe”, but I wanted something easier than a tiered cake, and something that I could whip up without having to go to the grocery store for ingredients beforehand.
I decided to add the granola to a parfait because I feel like that’s an incredibly common way to eat granola, though I typically just eat it as cereal (is that lame?). I used regular Greek yogurt mixed with a bit of maple syrup and I gotta say, it was pretty tasty. Of course if you’re looking to keep this recipe vegan, just use your favorite dairy free yogurt instead!
This chocolate peppermint granola is the perfect ratio of chocolate and peppermint and just the right amount of sweet. I originally added a bit of cane sugar to this recipe, but later determined that it’s not really necessary and that the granola is sweet enough without it, though you’re more than welcome to add it in. The candy cane pieces are of course optional, but how fun are they? They definitely take the parfait from a breakfast recipe to a dessert recipe with the candy canes and added chopped chocolate, but it’s SO GOOD.
No seriously, chocolate peppermint for the win!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup quinoa flakes
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 2-3 tbsp chopped dark chocolate
- Optional: 1 candy cane crushed into pieces
- For the yogurt:
- 2 cups plain yogurt*
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Combine oats, quinoa, cocoa, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
- Next, add melted coconut oil, maple syrup and peppermint extract to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour granola out onto a baking sheet, making sure it's evenly spread out.
- Bake granola for 15-20 minutes, stirring half way through.
- Remove granola from the oven and add the optional candy cane pieces and chopped chocolate and set aside.
- For the parfait: combine yogurt and syrup in a bowl, and transfer it to a serving dish and top it with the granola.
- Enjoy!
Notes
**Granola will harden a bit once it cools, so if it's browning on the edges remove it from the oven and wait a few minutes to see if it hardens
