It’s heeeeeeeeeere!
Can you believe I didn’t like coconut when I was a kid?
I know, right?
Clin-ic-LY…in-SANE 😯
When I was growing up, we would always get together at my great granny’s house for lunch after church on Sundays. After our meal, there were always plenty of desserts to choose from. All the kids (my cute little self included) would dive head-first (Not even joking…seriously, it really should be considered an Olympic sport…makes SO much more sense than the javelin throwing) into Granny’s deep freezer and go straight for the ice cream sandwiches and orange creamsicles. While we kids were busy licking away at our ice cream treats, the adults would most often cut into a big ol’ two layer, covered in white shredded goodness, coconut cake.
I guess I just always saw coconut cake (and therefore anything with coconut) to be a “grown up” dessert.
And well now, you know, since I AM a grown up and all (I think), I’ve finally come to my senses. Still to this day though, I’ve never had an Almond Joy bar. I’m sorry, but when it comes down to it, I’d take cake, and cookies, and brownies. and muffins, and cinnamon rolls, and…ok, so pretty much any baked good (except toaster pastries of course!) over candy ANY DAY!
So while I guess I lose a bit of my credibility when it comes to titling this INGENIOUS recipe creation “Almond Joy”, I’m willing to bet that after one bite, the last thing you’ll be is disappointed. 😀
And before I go any further, I just gotta give a shout out to my girl Jessie for hooking me up with these AMAZING coconut chips in a giveaway I won from her a few months ago. Seriously you guys, if you can get your hands on these, it is SO worth it!
When I die, I want to be BURIED in coconut chips!
Almond Joy Granola
By:Â
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Keywords: bake breakfast snack coconut oil coconut oats almonds
Ingredients (3 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/3 cup wheat bran
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/8 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon xylitol (or granulated sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/3 cup coconut chips
- 1/2 cup almonds (half whole, half chopped)**I recommend toasting the almonds for about 10 minutes at 300°F for a bolder flavor!
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Combine oats, wheat bran, cocoa, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and stir to mix.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut oil, honey, sugar, and almond extract.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir well.
5. Spread into thin layer on a baking sheet.
6. Cook for 8 minutes, stir and allow to cook for 8 more minutes or until crisp.
7. Allow to cool on pan for 10 minutes before stirring in coconut chips and almonds.
8. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks (if it lasts that long!).
Are there any foods out there that you hated when you were young but now you love?
I also use to hate brussel sprouts, asparagus, and basically any other green vegetable…except broccoli, I’ve ALWAYS loved broccoli! 😉
If you had to choose a favorite candy bar, what would it be?
I used to sing the praises of Reese’s cups but nowadays, I’d rather have a dark chocolate bar with a little sea salt…and maybe some caramel! 😀
Oh yeah, this was a LONG time coming…
Crunchy peanut butter, a handful of fresh blueberries, and my 
