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You are here: Home / Breakfast / Double Chocolate Almond Granola Clusters

July 1, 2015 36 Comments

Double Chocolate Almond Granola Clusters

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Crunchy double chocolate almond granola CLUSTERS made with dark chocolate cocoa powder and sweetened with honeySkinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat with less than 200 calories per serving!

I have a love-hate relationship with granola. I loveeee eating it, but I don’t love that a measly 1/4 cup serving often has 200+ calories, or that I have absolutely no self-control around an open package of those crispy clusters. I don’t even need yogurt– just hand me a bag of granola and I can go to town.Skinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat!My favorite store-bought granola has to be Trader Joe’s “Just the Clusters.” There’s a chocolate almond kind and a vanilla almond kind and they’re both really good, with surprisingly short ingredient lists. The best part is that they’re packed with huge chunks of granola, not just broken little pieces. Much clusters. So yum. (<- How my roommate and I started talking last year when we were way too tired.) I highly recommend trying it if you live near a Trader Joe’s.

But if you don’t happen to live near a Trader Joe’s or prefer to make your own granola, no worries. I set out to recreate that incredible chocolate almond granola, clusters and all, and I have to say…the homemade kind is even better.Skinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat with less than 200 calories per serving!From start to finish, you can have your granola mixture stirred together, baked, and out of the oven in less than 25 minutes. After it cools, toss in a handful of chocolate chips and be prepared to satisfy your deepest chocolate cravings for less than 200 calories per serving (a big handful of clusters)!Skinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat with less than 200 calories per serving!Double chocolate almond granola– much clusters, way crispy, so yum.Skinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat with less than 200 calories per serving!

Skinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat with less than 200 calories per serving!
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Double Chocolate Almond Granola

Skinny Double Chocolate Granola- a decadent and healthy treat with less than 200 calories per serving!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Liv

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats (not quick or instant)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dark chocolate cocoa powder)
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
  • Combine oats, cocoa powder, brown sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add canola oil and honey and stir to coat oats completely. Add slivered or chopped almonds and stir just to combine.
  • Spread onto parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes without stirring.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, and then add chocolate chips. Break into large clusters.
  • For best results, either store covered at room temperature for up to 10 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

For perfect clusters:
Refrain from stirring the granola once it is on the baking sheet, only breaking it apart into large pieces once it is completely cooled.
Press granola down with spatula once it comes out of the oven to help it clump together.
The espresso powder doesn't make the granola taste like coffee. It just enhances the chocolate flavor, but is completely okay to leave out if you don't have it on hand.

Inspired by this recipe

Nutrition info for one serving (1/12 of the recipe): 
Calories: 192  Total fat: 9g  Saturated fat: 1g  Carbs: 28g  Fiber: 4g  Sugar: 12g  Protein: 4g

 

Questions for you:
Have you tried making your own granola?
What’s one of your favorite things to buy at Trader Joe’s?
Besides their granola cereals, I love their dark chocolate peanut butter cups and their tomato basil hummus.
How do you like to satisfy your chocolate cravings?
Usually with ice cream…but anything that’s extremely chocolate-y works for me!

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Comments

  1. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    July 1, 2015 at 8:24 am

    I am exactly the same with granola. I love it, but you get so little for so much calories. This looks like it would be totally worth the calories though.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 3:30 pm

      I agree- if I’m going to have granola or something that’s pretty high in calories, it has to be really delicious so it’s worth it! Fortunately, this granola’s lower in calories than most 🙂

      Reply
  2. Alison @ Sweetly Petite says

    July 1, 2015 at 10:30 am

    Double chocolate anything is a must-have! My favorite thing to get at Trader Joe’s has to be their cottage cheese.. no shame. It is truly the best!
    I really enjoy making homemade granola, also. The best part is putting anything you want into it.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 3:38 pm

      I LOVE cottage cheese so that’s good to know! I’ve kind of forgotten about it recently so thanks for the reminder. i actually love mixing it into bowls of spaghetti, like easy lasagna 🙂

      Reply
  3. Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says

    July 1, 2015 at 8:35 am

    I love making homemade granola! Not only is tasty and can be a whole lot healthier than store bought, but the smell while it is baking is like no other!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 6:02 pm

      Even if I never got to taste baked goods, the smell of them in the oven would be worth making them!

      Reply
  4. Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says

    July 1, 2015 at 12:52 pm

    Double chocolate. Need I say more?

    My favorite TJ find (besides their wine) has got to be their cookies n’ cream cookie butter. That stuff is dangerous for me!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 6:03 pm

      I’ve seen that before at Trader Joe’s! I’m generally not a huge fan of sweet nut butters/cookie butters for some reason, but I LOVE cookies ‘n’ cream and have no doubt that it’s pretty addictive!

      Reply
  5. Lauren @ ihadabiglunch says

    July 1, 2015 at 1:38 pm

    Ok I know we’ve discussed this before…I’m not a big “granola for breakfast” girl but this would be a KILLER dessert 🙂 nom!!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 3:42 pm

      HAHA I love that we’ve had conversations like this before 🙂 Granola’s definitely more of a snacky food and dessert for me, too, since I’d probably have to eat a ton of it to be a whole meal, which mighttt not be the best.

      Reply
  6. Jamie says

    July 1, 2015 at 2:27 pm

    I’m totally with you, I can eat an entire bag of granola without a second thought. I’ve never made my own granola but I like making at home granola bars 🙂 Best thing to buy at TJs is the cauliflower rice – totally bought into it! I have a few pieces of dark chocolate which helps satisfy my sweet tooth.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 3:33 pm

      Ooh I’ve seen recipes for cauliflower rice before but haven’t ever noticed it at Trader Joe’s! They have so many great freezer options.

      Reply
  7. Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats says

    July 1, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    I love making my own granola but this chocolate one is totally calling my name!

    Reply
  8. Ellen @ My Uncommon Everyday says

    July 1, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    I love making granola and this one looks delicious! Anything “double chocolate” sounds pretty perfect to me.

    I started shopping at Trader Joe’s pretty recently, but so far some of my favorite things are their sweet potato fries and dried mandarin orange slices. Trying new products is fun 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 10:30 pm

      Ooh, I haven’t tried their sweet potato fries or dried mandarin orange slices. Sounds yummy!

      Reply
  9. Ellie says

    July 1, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    I have never made homemade granola! My friends have made it before and always give me some of the extra (how can there be extra?!) I’ve only been to TJs twice and bought cookie butter each time. However I did try all the samples =P My chocolate fix is usually a PB&Nutella sandwich (eating one now ahhaa)

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 10:29 pm

      Your friends sound wonderful! And seriously- how do they have “extra” granola? This was gone in my house in about 2 days!

      Reply
  10. Rebecca @ MyEagerFeet says

    July 1, 2015 at 8:16 pm

    There’s a Trader Joe’s near where I grew up, but we never really went. (Though we still have a couple of their big reusable bags that we use all the time!) I want to go back some time as an adult and see what all the fuss is about.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 10:35 pm

      There’s definitely a lot of hype about Trader Joe’s! I love it because the prices are usually pretty low and they have a lot of fun snacky foods and healthy frozen items (like precooked brown rice, quinoa blends, etc.), but it’s more of an extra stop for me rater than a one stop shop since there are usually a few things I need that they don’t have 🙂

      Reply
  11. Abbie says

    July 1, 2015 at 9:11 pm

    First of all, yum, this looks so good! My sister and I are definitely on a granola kick right now! It’s funny, because the last granola we made was very similar to this one. It wasn’t perfect, though, and we didn’t stir in chocolate chips at the end, which was a mistake. =S

    I am the same way – give me plain granola (especially chocolate!), and I don’t need anything else! Although, my new favorite way to have it is out of hand with a glass of milk. Kind of like the traditional way of in a bowl, but it doesn’t get soggy.

    My favorite thing to buy at TJs is probably their Pounds Plus Belgian Chocolate. Once it’s cut up, one (or more!) of those squares is usually how I satisfy my chocolate cravings. If you haven’t tried it, you really should! I like their 72% out of hand, but not everyone does. The dark chocolate is a good place to start, IMO. 😀 (Also, their chocolate chunks are really good!)

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 1, 2015 at 10:30 pm

      I actually have tried their Pound Plus dark chocolate and the 72% is the perfect sweetness for me! I’ve also used it for baking homemade brownies 🙂

      Reply
  12. Faith VanderMolen says

    July 2, 2015 at 3:18 am

    Ah, I have the same love-hate relationship with granola too. I seriously could eat an entire box in one sitting…which is why I don’t eat it very often. But it’s soooo good and this recipe looks incredible!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 3, 2015 at 11:30 am

      I’m glad it’s not just me who can’t stop eating granola! I try not to eat it toooo often either, but I love making it for special occasions or to give away as a gift!

      Reply
  13. Emily says

    July 2, 2015 at 10:49 pm

    Wow, this looks like dessert, but knowing me, I could definitely justify having it for breakfast. 🙂 I think I need to make granola very soon, and I think I know what kind it will be!

    Reply
    • YingYing Chen says

      July 4, 2021 at 8:38 am

      Love the Granola… anyone can help to translate the Recipe into metrics measurement … thanks a million 💓💓🙏

      Reply
  14. Laura @MotherWouldKnow says

    July 3, 2015 at 10:46 am

    I buy TJ’s Pound Plus chocolate all the time but have never tried their granola. Make mine homemade. This one looks fabulous – more like a snack than breakfast, which is fine by me.

    Reply
  15. Paola Angeli says

    July 4, 2015 at 9:40 am

    YASSS you’ve been killing it with the chocolate stuff lately!

    Reply
  16. Julia @ Lord Still Loves Me says

    July 4, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    I need cluster-filled granola! I actually get upset when it is all crumbled away before I get a chance to eat it! You’re so inventive Liv, and I love the recipe!

    Reply
  17. Liz @ A Latte Running says

    July 5, 2015 at 11:01 am

    Liv, this looks AMAZING!

    Reply
  18. Cailee says

    July 5, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    Ahhh!! This looks amazing! Love that you added chocolate chunks!! …and I hear ya on the granola/ high calorie issue… like for real! Lol, yours is SO much better!

    Reply
  19. Rachael Turns Pages says

    July 5, 2015 at 5:16 pm

    I might have to try this. I have an obsession with Granola. I also really love no bake peanut butter bites.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 7, 2015 at 9:35 am

      No bake peanut butter energy bites are my jam! (no pun intended although pb + jelly…) 🙂

      Reply
  20. rachel @ Athletic Avocado says

    July 7, 2015 at 7:25 am

    this granola looks so darn good! Love that you added espresso powder to really bring out the chocolate 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 7, 2015 at 9:15 am

      I’ll add espresso powder to just about anything chocolate-y to bring out the richness of the chocolate! Even chocolate chip cookies 🙂

      Reply
  21. Liz says

    September 11, 2019 at 10:04 pm

    This looks amazing. I love that granola is actually pretty easy to make.
    Just wondering could we substitute canola oil with anything else? Like applesauce or coconut oil?

    Reply
    • Liv says

      September 12, 2019 at 7:05 pm

      Hi Liz! Coconut oil works well here!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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