chocolate peanut butter crunch granola

This right here is the best excuse for breakfast known to man. 

Chocolate and peanut butter? Uhh yah please. The weird thing is… It's healthy. I know you're probably getting annoyed at me saying "AAAAND this recipe is healthy!" in like every other post. But it is. Hey, I just speak the truth, people. HOWEVER, I sincerely promise you the healthiness most definitely did NOT compromise the yummy factor. Holy moly, no. it. did. not. I didn't even try to make this healthy. It just… *dramatic pause* came naturally.

I often find a lack of chewiness in the granola I make. But oooooh boy, is this granola CHEWY! It's so perfect and made me do my happy dance. Due to my lack of patience {aha.}, I put in the chocolate chunks while the granola was still a little warm. Then it got all gooey, yet the chunks still kept a little of their shape. After I added the mix ins, I threw it in a big plastic bag and popped it in the fridge. When I went back to the bag for a munch {read: 2 bowls.} the chocolate had cooled and there were HUMUNGO chunks of granola. It was seriously the best bite of granola I have ever had in my entire 14 years. {whoa.} Needless to say, this granola has a lot goin' on as far as texture. I used quite a lot of honey and olive oil in here, as well as peanut butter {duh.}, resulting in an abundance of chunks, clusters, and chewiness. 

This was seriously probably my favorite granola recipe I've made so far. It's the perfect balance of sinfully chocolatey, but not too much to the point of bad for you. Lately I've been trying to cut down on morning time carbs, so this was a nice little splurge for me :) Not that I even had it for breakfast though… It was gone within 24 hours. I made in at dinnertime one night, and it was gone the next morning before I could get a bowl. My family LOVED this stuff and I know it'll be one of the few things on my blog I actually go back to and make again. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Granola

1/2 c. creamy all natural peanut butter, slightly melted

5 tbsp. honey

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp. white sugar {feel free to sub in another tablespoon or two of honey instead.}

3 c. oats

1/2 c. salted peanuts

1/2 c. chocolate chips/chunks

Preheat one to 325ºF. In a large bowl, combine the oil, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla. Add in the oats, sugar, and cocoa powder. Stir until combined. Pour on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes,  stirring around every 2-3 minutes to prevent burning. Once cooled, add in the peanuts and chocolate chunks. Store in a large plastic bag or airtight container for up to 5-7 days.

Happy weekend to me.