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Who says breakfast can’t have chocolate? Start your day with this Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola recipe for a delicious and satisfying breakfast full of everyone’s favorite superfood!
Something that you guys don’t see is he behind-the-scenes testing that goes into each recipe. When I first started the blog, I definitely wasn’t testing recipes. Mainly, because I was basically the only person actually reading my blog. But now that there’s quite a few of you out there who read THM and also make my recipes (have I mentioned I love you?!), testing has become a priority.
It’s important to me that I not only share recipes that I love, but also recipes that work. Of course, so many factors play into the success of a recipe (things like ovens, pots/bakeware, and altitude) but within reason, I do what I can. It’s also important that the recipes not only be something I love, but also something that the non-green-juice-drinking crowd will also love.
That’s when I turn to C…
C has taught me so much about what it means to be an intuitive eater and not have an unhealthy obsession with food. In turn, I’ve taught him the value of quality and why it’s important to nourish your body with good quality food and not just what’s most convenient.
He happily eats whatever I cook and rarely, if ever complains about it. At times, he requests “a real cookie” and I happily oblige because life isn’t all about perfectly, “clean” eating. Though we certainly don’t agree on everything (more on this below), his refreshing take on health makes him the perfect recipe tester. If the recipe doesn’t pass his test, it won’t go on the blog. So you have C to thank for the 500+ recipes that have made their way onto the blog.
…actually, that may be giving him too much credit. Let’s not give him a big head.
But like I said, we don’t always agree on everything. When it comes to things like lunch and dinner, I’m usually the one in charge, but we’re oftentimes on different schedules first thing in the morning so he’s on his own for breakfast. Here’s where his “convenience first” attitude becomes a problem. C would rather not spend more than 5 mins on his breakfast. I think this a perfectly acceptable attitude, but that doesn’t mean reaching for a bowl of sugary cereal is your only option.
So after a long conversation he decided he’d start his day with eggs, organic sausage and sprouted english muffins. In theory, this sounded great. In reality, C started eating breakfast at 11:00 AM because the process felt so extensive that he’d just put it off.
Finally we agreed on a solution. Yogurt, berries and granola. Easy-peasy, ready in under 5 minutes and healthy. So lately I’ve been whipping up a big batch of this Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola for C to have with his breakfast. And since he’s my ultimate taste-tester, he wanted me to tell you that this is “the best granola you’ve ever made”.
We recently tried swapping out regular yogurt for the Silk Almond Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternative and loved it! We picked some up at Target but use this store locator to find a location closest to you. Enjoy!
PrintDark Chocolate Pistachio Granola
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup shelled pistachios (about 2 cups in shell)*
- 1 cup seeds (I’ve used pumpkin and sunflower)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3–1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
- optional: 1 egg white, whipped (helps make clusters in granola)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl combine rolled oats, pistachios, seeds, cinnamon and sea salt.
- Add in vanilla, coconut oil and maple syrup and stir to combine.
- If using egg white, stir in now. Do NOT stir in chocolate chips before baking.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Spread out granola over sheet.
- Bake for 15 mins on lower rack.
- After 15 mins, switch to top rack and bake for another 15-20 mins or until granola is browned slightly and crispy.
- Let cool completely on baking sheet (will take about an hour)
- Stir in chocolate chunks.
- Will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or mason jar (if it keeps that long).
- Serve overtop of Silk Almond Dairy-Free Yogurt or desired base.
Notes
*I buy unshelled pistachios as they are way cheaper, however feel free to buy shelled if you don’t want to ruin your manicure!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
My granola burned. Followed directions.
My oven actually runs cool, so I would recommend watching it carefully.
Is there another thing I can use instead of coconut oil?
Wow, this is so amazing. I’m a fan of chocolate overall and if it is in meal like this I’m going crazy! So does my wife, we are like chocolate duo and we often prepare a lot of chocolate based food from various recipes, but this one was just too good!
Could I sub honey for the syrup
absolutely!
Heck yes, berries and yogurt for breakfast sounds perfect for all those days we don’t want to make an elaborate meal! I’m so happy you have such a strong partner… you two are adorable! It can be tough to stick to balanced eating habits, so having a person who keeps things in check makes life so much easier! What a blessing!
aw thanks, girl! Yes- it works both ways too! I remind him to eat his kale, and he reminds me that there’s more to life than kale 😉
This looks great, Davida! You just inspired me to run downstairs to make a coconut yogurt + berries + granola snack : )
<3 <3 <3
LOOOLOL this blog post. Omg I love C hahahaha. Adam has like 1.5 hours in the morning before work (he starts at 10 am, excuse me?) but STILL eats a boring ass bowl of cereal every morning. I said to him that if I were in his shoes, i’d be making a delicious gourmet egg breakfast every morning. He was not down for that idea at all.
Right?! Like wtf. Curt works from home now. There’s no reason to not spend more than 5 mins on food! Ah well…we settled on this granola. Of which I ate at least half!
Seriously C and Drew are two peas in a pod, I swear. If he has to put any effort into his breakfast, he probably isn’t eating until lunch. Or he is grabbing a protein bar of some sort and going out the door. I’ve gotten him on the smoothie train and he’s been enjoying greek yogurt in the morning. Boys are funny 😀 Breakfast is like my favorite meal!
Right?! Breakfast is like the reason I wake up! To me it’s the most exciting. Lunch on the other hand…Can’t wait for our future double date!
I’ve been seeing more and more pistachio in recipes these days. It’s making a comeback!! This sounds delicious- I hardly ever see pistachio in granola and I like it!
It totally is! And rightfully so! I looooove pistachios.
No matter how inventive I try, I always make the same cranberry walnut granola, it’s my go to! Glad to finally have a tried-n-true alternative to try!
yes!!! You will love this one. It’s definitely different than my normal granola, which I love!!