Chocolate Fruit & Nut Granola for light snacking...think summertime & swimsuits!

I have been making variations of this recipe for a few months now ever since I saw an episode of Giada at Home on Food Network, but this particular recipe has turned out to be my favorite. I had always wanted to try making my own granola and as it turns out, it's pretty easy. The hardest part about making it is gathering the ingredients, which looks like a long list, but it is so good altogether that I wouldn't want to leave any of these ingredients out. My next experiment with granola will definitely include peanut butter though, so stay tuned!

This is a double batch of nuts before they are roasted, but you can pretty much include any nuts that you like. If you've never experimented with these nuts though, I highly recommend them. I never knew I liked flax seed until I started making this, and pumpkin seeds have really grown on me too!

It should look kinda like this after you've mixed all the ingredients and baked it. I love that this recipe is so easy to tailor to your personal preferences because you can change the variety of fruits & nuts as you wish.  

So the mini chocolate chips I used look weird because I had them in my car and they all melted into one big chunk! I just carefully stabbed at the chunk with a knife to break it back down into small pieces and sprinkled it all over. I also used white chocolate chips to add some color, and because more chocolate is never a bad thing! Make sure to add the chocolate chips just when the granola is pulled out of the oven so that the warmth slightly melts the chocolate into place. Of course if you want a more healthy version you could just omit the chocolate chips altogether...womp, womp!! : (

I managed to make some pretty good looking bars for some fairly nice pictures, but truth be told, they don't actually hold up like this so well. They fall apart really easily because they're more soft and chewy, but maybe I just got over eager and didn't let them cool long enough before cutting them. Either way, they are delicious and sort of addicting probably because they're kinda healthy so I subconsciously allow myself to keep stuffing more in my mouth! 

This whole batch only lasts about a week in my pantry because my hubs and I munch on it for an early morning to late night snack. It's definitely more figure-friendly than the amazing banana bread I recently made that seems to be perfect at any time of day as well.

 Chocolate Fruit & Nut Granola Recipe

1 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown because it's what I had, but dark or light should work fine)
1/4 cup agave nectar (I used Amber, but dark should work too)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup roughly chopped roasted, lightly salted almonds
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots*
1/3 cup dried mixed berries*
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Optional:
1/2 cup of mini milk chocolate chips (I used Tollhouse)
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)


-Start with roasting the pumpkin, flax & sunflower seeds at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes keeping a close eye (and nose because you'll smell the nuttiness) on them so they don't burn. While this is working, you can chop up your almonds & dried apricots.
-In a small saucepan, bring the cranberry juice, orange juice, brown sugar, agave & cinnamon to a simmer. Stir it regularly and you should notice it thicken just a little bit.
-In a large mixing bowl, add the oatmeal, salt, toasted nuts, almonds, apricots & berries. Mix together well with the cranberry juice reduction and spread onto a baking sheet coated with a non-stick spray.
-Bake granola for about 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown. Sprinkle on chocolate chips soon after removing from the oven. Allow time to cool before cutting & removing from pan. Store in an airtight container for up to a week or so.

*Note: When choosing dried fruit, check the ingredients to be sure there is no added sugar because it adds unnecessary calories and sweetness for this application. I used some local dried fruit from Nature's Eats (www.texasnut.com) found in it's own little section within produce at HEB.