Healthy Chocolate Granola, How to Get Big Clusters Without Sugar

Say hello to your new healthy obsession, Chocolate Granola with a not-so-secret natural ingredient that not only creates those coveted big snackable clusters, but also makes it lower in added sugar. Shall we?

How Do You Get Big Clusters in Granola?

When it comes to those coveted clusters of granola that you can snack on out of hand rather than like a cereal that requires a bowl and spoon, you need something that binds the rest of the ingredients together, which is usually a lot of sugar or egg whites.

The not-so-secret ingredient we're using for this recipe is the one that also keeps this Healthy Chocolate Granola naturally lower in added sugar: California Prunes. Plump the prunes in hot water, then blend to make a sticky, naturally sweet prune syrup!

Dietary Considerations and Health Benefits of Chocolate Granola

This recipe for Chocolate Granola as published, is:

• 100% plant-based/vegan
• vegetarian
• refined sugar-free
• dairy-free
• gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free oats

What Ingredients You Need to Make Healthy Chocolate Granola

Here's what you need, and how easy that everything is from the pantry/dry:

1. California Prunes, ¾ cup total + hot water to plump them
2. Maple syrup, ½ cup
3. Olive oil, ¼ cup
4. Vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon
5. Sea salt, 1 teaspoon
6. Cocoa powder, ¼ cup
7. Oats, old fashioned rolled, 3 cups
8. Almonds, 1 cup sliced, or any other of your favorite nut or nut mix
9. Pumpkin seeds, 1 cup
10. Flaky sea salt, 1 teaspoon for finishing

Optional for flavor and added sweetness:

• Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ~optional
• Dark chocolate chunks, 1 cup, ~optional

Oats are available in a few different formats. Steel cut, rolled, quick-cooking, and instant oats are the most commonly available in grocery stores.

Rolled oats, the kind of oats we want to use in Granola, are whole oats that have been "rolled" over and flattened, making them even easier and faster to cook than steel-cut oats. Rolled oats are available as regular/old-fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking rolled oats. For this Healthy Chocolate Granola recipe, use old-fashioned rolled because they're a little less processed.

What Kind of Prunes are Best for Cooking? Where Do You Buy Prunes?

Use California Prunes for this and any other recipes.

In California, prunes are descendants of the Petit d’Agen prune plum imported from France. California grows 90% of the prunes in the US and 40% of the prunes around the world. So, more than likely if you're eating prunes in the United States, they're almost certainly from California.

You can find prunes in every grocery store near the produce department since prunes are, in fact, a dried type of plum. And because prunes by themselves can be a healthy, subtly sweet snack, you can also find them in the snack aisle.

What Does Sorbate or Non-Sorbate Mean in Prunes?

In the photo above, the prunes in the bowl on the left are "non-sorbate" and feel dry to the touch. The prunes on the right have sorbate and are shiny, plumper, and feel sticky to the touch. Either one work for this recipe, though using non-sorbate prunes may require just a little more time in hot water for them to "plump up."

Here's the info straight from the source, California Prunes: "Prunes are sometimes coated with potassium sorbate to preserve them and help retain moisture content. Potassium sorbate or sorbic acid is considered safe for consumption. Prunes without potassium sorbate are less sticky and more chewy."

Instructions for How to Make Chocolate Granola

Chocolate Granola require nothing more than mixing almost all of the ingredients together, spreading it onto a baking sheet and baking. You don't even need to, and in fact you shouldn't, stir the granola every few minutes like other recipes might direct because we're going for big clusters here!

Prepare Granola Binder ~ 10 minutes

Pro-tip: A power blender might be too large to blend the smaller volume of prunes. Use a small, personal blender, or the "smoothie cup" attachment if your larger blender has one. You can also use an immersion blender.

Make Chocolate Granola

Pro-tip: Slice the prunes through the center to make two circles first, then each circle into half moons, which will expose their sticky interiors and help them adhere to the granola.

Can I Make Ingredient Substitutions?

Healthy Chocolate Granola, and granola in general, is even better when customized with substitutions that suit your taste, health, and even whatever you actually have available in your kitchen. Walnuts instead of almonds? Sunflower seeds instead of pepitas? Get crazy with just nuts and no seeds? Do it, lady. The one thing you don't want to substitute is the California prunes!

Here are some substitutions and suggested flavor variations:

Honey or Brown Rice Syrup for Maple Syrup. If you don't have maple syrup, honey or brown rice syrup in the same amount are great substitutes. Note: if you use honey, your granola will no longer be vegan.

Other Nuts and or Seeds. Sliced almonds and pepitas are a house favorite, but if you prefer pistachios or walnuts or sunflower seeds, use them! It will not affect the baking time.

Other Oil for Olive Oil. I use olive oil because we have it in bulk in the kitchen, but any other generally neutral oil like avocado oil is perfect substitutes. Melted coconut oil works, and will add some of its coconutty fragrance. You can also use melted butter, which will give it a richer taste.

How Long Can You Keep/Store Chocolate Granola?

Keep Chocolate Granola in a tightly sealed container, preferably glass, and store in the pantry for up to a week, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. You will definitely eat it long before then, I guarantee.

How to Get More Prunes into Your Diet

More fiber? Less refined sugar? Just because they taste good? For whatever reason, to incorporate more prunes into your diet beyond just popping them straight up, add prunes to the recipes you already love, especially sweets.

Adding prunes to recipes is an easy way to increase the health factor. Prunes are naturally sweet so they are a great substitute for refined sugar. When re-hydrated and pureed, prunes can be used as both a replacement for butter or oil and as a binding replacement for eggs in baked goods. If you're looking for ways to replace refined sugar with lower-glycemic sweeteners, or reduce fat from butter, oil, or eggs, or even just move toward a more plant-based diet, prunes are an excellent way to do that.

Best Prune Recipes

If you're perfectly happy popping 4-5 prunes straight up every day like me, that's awesome. But if you'd like to incorporate prunes into your lifestyle in other ways, here are a few more recipes to try.

Prunes add sweetness and a rich and sticky texture to condiments, dips, and sauces like these without having to add refined sugars or starchy thickeners:

• Pinot Prune Jam the new jam for cheese and charcuterie board
• Homemade Hoisin Sauce and Dip for Spring Rolls
• Pickled Prunes, perfect sweet tart accompaniments

Prunes are a great flavor complement to chocolate and cocoa in sweets and desserts like these recipes and add natural sweetness and lend a rich, sticky texture without having to add refined sugars or starchy thickeners:

• Chocolate Salami, a subtly sweet dessert or snack
• Brownie Baked Oatmeal, no eggs no banana
• Healthy Chocolate Spread aka "no-tella"

^{Recipe developed in partnership with CA Prunes! Check out the their website and follow @CAPrunes on instagram for more information on prunes!}