cherry and shortbread chocolate chunk granola
This recipe is inspired by an old chilhood favorite of mine: crunchy chocolate granola clusters meet sour dried cherries, shortbread cookies and chunks of dark chocolate.
Servings 1 batch
Ingredients
shortbread cookies
- 60 ml maple syrup
- 60 g cashew butter or vegan butter *
- 160 g flour **
- 1/4 Tsp vanilla (or 1 Tsp vanilla extract)
- 1/4 Tsp lemon zest from an organic lemon
basic cacao granola
- 250 g rolled oats
- 2 Tbsp (30g) Tahini ***
- 100 g dates already pitted and soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
- pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp (20g) cacao powder
- 1/3 Cup+ 2 Tbsp water
other ingredients
- 60 g dried or freeze dried cherries ****
- 50 g dark chocolate chopped into chunks
Instructions
- Start with preheating the oven to 200C and preparing a baking/ brownie tin by lining it with some parchment paper and/or greasing it with a little oil or vegan butter.
- To make the shortbread combine the nut/seed butter or vegan butter with the maple syrup and mix until creamy and well combined using a hend held mixer. Sift in the flour, add the lemon zest and vanilla and mix again to form a smooth dough. Press the dough into the form and draw a grit with a knife onto the surface (about 2*1 long squares). This will help later to cut the shortbread and prevent it from breaking too much once it is already baked. Set the tin aside.
- To make the granola base, drain the dates and blend together with the nut butter and water until smooth.
- Add the oats, cacao powder and pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl and combine with the mixture from the blender. Spread out onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the granola and shortbread for around 20 minutes. You need to stir through the granola every once in a while to prevent it from burning and check if the shortbread is not too golden.
- Once baked, slice the shortbread immediately and then let cool. The granola base must be cooled completely too, otherwise it will not remain its crunchiness.
- To finish the granola, add the cherries, around 3/4 (150g) of the shortbread cookies and the chocolate chunks to the chilled granola and mix. Store in an airtight container. Do the same with the leftover shortbread cookies and eat them by the handful or enjoy as topping for yogurts or smoothies/ smoothie bowls. Enjoy!
Notes
*you can substitute it for any nut/seed butter
**I used a gluten free flour blend, but you can use any other flour. The concistency might differ then, depending on how fine the flour you are using is. I would not reccomend coconut flour though as it is more difficult and tricky to bake with.
***feel free to use any other nut/ seed butter here as well!
****I really suggest you to use freeye dried cherries. Should they not be available for you or are too expensive, regular dried cherries are totally fine!