Cherry Chocolate Granola

We always have a large jar of this on the kitchen counter.  It’s a part of many breakfast variations: in oatmeal, in yogurt, and with milk as a cereal (bonus, the milk turns chocolate-y).  But it’s also a great “snacking granola”.

Yield: Makes about 11-12 cups
Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• 1 1/2 cups raw almonds
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 3/4 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray or butter.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix the syrup and olive oil together in a separate bowl, and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine, making sure the oats are fully coated.
3. Bake the granola for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to cook evenly. Remove from the oven when dark golden brown, and let cool to room temperature, stirring once after about 10-15 minutes to break up large chunks, or more often if you like a looser granola.
4. When fully cooled, add cherries and chocolate. Store any extra granola in an airtight container for up to four weeks.

Nutritional info: Per 1/2-cup serving: 316 calories, 7 g protein, 34 g carbohydrate, 18 g fat (3 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 95 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

This recipe comes from Amanda Gold, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer