I’ve shared a recipe for granola before, but it was quite some time ago and that recipe was just for your basic granola clusters. Similar to the ones that you might find in a box of cereal.

This recipe is different in that it pairs together more than just some baked oats — delicious as they may be on their own.

The other day I was cleaning out my baking cupboard and realized that I had half a bag of shredded coconut, and about a quarter of a cup of chocolate chips left.

There really aren’t too many things that you can do with those quantities, but I didn’t have any immediate ideas so I brushed that thought off to the side, and stuck those items back in the cupboard for another time.

Sometime in the next couple of days, I was eating some vanilla yogurt and thought to myself, this is good but it would taste better with some granola on top.

One thing led to another, and here we are. I clearly remembered the shredded coconut and handful of chocolate chips in the cupboard, and they paired together nicely.

The best thing about this recipe is how incredibly versatile it is.

You could easily sprinkle some cinnamon on your granola and coconut before toasting, then throw in some dried cranberries instead of chocolate chips.

If you don’t like almonds, you could substitute peanuts and add in a mix of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips with no coconut at all.

Keep in mind that you can always switch out ingredients that cater more specifically to your diet. You can use a higher percentage of cacao in your chocolate chips, and unsweetened coconut to make this lower sugar, or like mentioned previously, you don’t have to use chocolate chips at all!

So many possibilities here.

However, today we are talking about almonds, coconut and chocolate.

As always, thanks for reading, and happy baking from hbk!

Almond Joy Granola Mix

INGREDIENTS

3 C. Oats

1 C. Almonds

1 C. Shredded Coconut

™ C. Honey

™ C. Melted Butter or Coconut Oil

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Pinch salt

Add in later

™ – ¢ C. Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare baking tray with aluminum foil.

2. Stir together everything but the chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.

3. Spread out oat mixture on baking tray, bake for 25-30 minutes, or until oats are golden brown.

4. Allow to cool completely before adding chocolate chips.

5. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Katy Wise is a Fredonia resident.