Last night we had the privilege of watching a free screening of the new movie About Time. I have to say that while I am a huge sucker for a chick-flick, I didn’t have high expectations for this one. Maybe that’s a little harsh to say, I was definitely looking forward to the movie (especially being that it was free) I just hadn’t heard much about it. And really, now that I’ve seen it, chick-flick puts this movie in a box that it doesn’t quite deserve, maybe indie drama would be better suited. Regardless, I am happy to say that I loved it. I laughed, I cried. It brought out so many emotions in me about family, love and life.

I know, I’m being a bit sappy, but after several tears (happy and sad) I’m still a bit emotional. I hate to talk a movie up too much, in fear that you’ll see it and somehow be disappointed, but in my opinion this is a must see. So I hope you will, and I hope you will be affected as I was.

Speaking of being emotional and sappy, what better companion for the two than a little chocolate. This Chocolate Granola is also a must, as in must try and must eat!

I never realized I was such a granola girl. But this is my third granola post in two months, so I guess statistics would say I am. I started with Homemade Banana Granola, which was good but not quite as crunchy as I like, then made Crunchy Granola with Flax and Sunflower Seeds, which turned out really good and had the crunch I was looking for.

Oddly, I don’t actually eat much of the granola once I make it, it’s more for Josh. Recently, he joined me at Trader Joe’s to get groceries and I caught him eyeing a box of their chocolate granola.

Like most women, I thought to myself “I can make that, and it’d probably be healthier”. So I began scouring Pinterest for a recipe to get me started, then as usual I made a few changes and came up with this Chocolate Granola with Coconut Palm Sugar. And I must say, this granola is by far my favorite. I think it goes without saying that it’s his, too. What guy wouldn’t relish in eating a little chocolate with his breakfast? I made it the first time and he raved about it, once that batch was gone I started on round two but made a few additional alterations, and I think it turned out even better than the first.

But seriously, chocolate chips baked into whole oats, with some coconut oil and honey, what’s not to love? We didn’t try it out, but I’m pretty sure it would be crazy good over some ice cream or to top off a chocolate cobbler.

This was my first time to use the coconut palm sugar and I was really happy with the result. I follow so many wonderful food blogs and continued to see recipes calling for the coconut palm sugar, but knew very little about it or why it was a healthier option than pure cane sugar. After doing a little research, I found that palm sugar is both rich in nutrients and low on the glycemic index.

The crystalline sweetener looks and tastes like sugar but it is completely natural and unrefined. It is acquired from the flowers growing high on coconut trees, which are opened to collect their liquid flower nectar. This nectar is then air-dried to form a crystalline sugar that’s naturally brown in color and rich in a number of key vitamins and minerals. I’ve listed out some additional benefits below.

BENEFITS OF COCONUT PALM SUGAR:

It is rich in potassium, zinc, iron, and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6.
These vital nutrients and minerals may help heal your body and prevent illness.
It is never refined or bleached like white sugar, allowing all nutrients to remain, whereas most sweeteners are highly refined, stripping them of any nutrients.
It has a glycemic index of 35, which is considerably lower than cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and Maltodextrin. The glycemic index measures how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating a particular type of food. At just 35, palm sugar is very similar to milk or cooked carrots.
Consuming low-glycemic index foods such as coconut palm sugar may reduce your chances of getting breast cancer.
Using coconut palm sugar to sweeten your foods could lessen your chances of getting diabetes mellitus, or type 2 diabetes.

We ate it with a little almond milk and Greek Yogurt, wonderful both ways. If you are a chocolate lover like me, definitely give this one a try. Chocolate for breakfast, yes please!

Recipe inspired by Triple Chocolate Crunch Granola from Sally’s Baking Addition.

Chocolate Granola with Coconut Palm Sugar

Delicious Chocolate Granola loaded with whole oats, coconut oil, honey and dark chocolate chips!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate, coconut palm sugar, granola

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 120kcal

Author Kaylee Pauley

Ingredients

3 cups organic old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 1/2 cups bran flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
5 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Pour oats, bran flakes and flaxseed into a large bowl, set aside.
In separate bowl, mix melted coconut oil, cocoa powder, and coconut palm sugar until combined. Add honey and salt and mix until a liguid-y paste forms.
Pour chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and mix until all oats are moistened.
Sprinkle generously with cinnamon and toss to coat before baking.
Bake for 10 minutes, stir and flip granola, bake additional 5-10 minutes or until desired crunchiness.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips while the granola is still warm. Sprinkle again with cinnamon and stir. The chocolate chips will melt, creating larger clusters of granola.
Store covered at room temperature.

Nutrition

Nutritional information taken from Naturalnews.com and LIVESTRONG.com

Chocolate Granola with Coconut Palm Sugar

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition

By Kaylee Pauley