Healthy Snack or School Lunch Treat: Chocolate Granola Bites!
Keep a bag of these delicious dark chocolate granola bites in the refrigerator or freezer and pull some out for a healthy snack or nice treat for the lunch box. My son will love finding a few of these chocolate bites in his school lunch as a treat!
These granola bites are not quite as sweet as your typical no-bake cookie. Yes, they have some similarities, but the granola bites flavor is more of a dark chocolate and they have more of a firm granola texture too.
At first, my husband commented that these granola bites are not as good as no-bake cookies. But when I told him that they are not supposed to be, and that they are more of a healthy snack than a cookie, he proceeded to eat several more and loved them! Ha. I think these will become a staple in our freezer!
I just slightly crushed the sliced almonds to keep the pieces a bit smaller. Then toast the almonds and coconut in a skillet for about 5 minutes. The chocolate part is honey, coconut oil, peanut butter, vanilla, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips. It only takes a few minutes to melt it all together!
Pour the chocolate mixture over the almond/coconut/oats mixture and stir it all together until combined. Mmm…chocolate.
Use a scoop or spoons to scoop out the chocolate oat mixture by the tablespoon-full. Just leave the mounds there on the parchment paper to cool off a bit. After 10 minutes or so, they will be easier to form into balls.
There they are all ready to go into the fridge. You will want to place the balls onto a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy transportation to the fridge. After a few hours, you can move the bites into an air tight container and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
You will probably end up with about 25-35 bites, depending on how big the balls are and how much of it you eat in the process of making them. 
They taste great out of the refrigerator, but are even better if left to sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating.
Ingredients
- 2 cups quick oats
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup natural unsweetened or Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats and salt.
- Crush the sliced almonds into slightly smaller pieces. Heat a 10 or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the coconut and almonds, stirring often to prevent burning, and toast for 5-6 minutes until the aroma is nutty and the coconut and nuts are turning slightly golden. Toss the mixture with the oats.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the honey, coconut oil, peanut butter, vanilla, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop the mixture into tablespoon-sized mounds onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let the little mounds sit for 10 minutes or so until they have cooled and are less sticky.
- Roll the mounds into balls using firm pressure with the palms of your hands.
- Refrigerate the granola bites for 1-2 hours to set up. They can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (or freeze for several months).
This recipe is slightly adapted from MelsKitchenCafe.com.
