Healthy Peppermint Mocha Granola Clusters
If this snack doesn’t scream Christmas, I don’t know what does. This granola is so tasty all year long, but I especially love making it during the holidays! The peppermint bark flavor is iconic, and the instant coffee adds a delicious mocha flavor.
This granola is so satisfying in the best way possible. It’s delightfully crunchy, sweetened with honey, and the peppermint extract and instant coffee powder combine to add that peppermint mocha feel.
My Helpful Tips for Crunchy Granola:
- When spreading the granola mixture onto the baking pan, make sure you press it thin. This helps the granola bake evenly and get nice and crispy. I recommend using a rubber spatula to flatten it, or laying a piece of parchment paper over the granola and going over it with a rolling pin. Remove the parchment paper on top before baking.
- Don’t touch the granola until it’s completely cooled. This is a vital step if you want big, crunchy clusters. You can also crumble up the granola with a spatula immediately after it’s done baking. But if you have the patience/time, letting it sit and cool completely at room temperature will guarantee you those big clusters of crunchy goodness! I’ve also cooled it in the fridge and that works great, too.
- Use honey as the sweetener! Honey helps the ingredients really stick together even after it’s baked. This is ideal if you want big chunks of bite-size granola to snack on. Or, if you just want the sweetness but don’t mind a more crumbly granola, you can substitute the honey with maple syrup!
The dark chocolate and candy cane topping is totally optional, but in my opinion, it’s too yummy to pass up. It really turns this granola into a peppermint bark feel, which is so fun and delicious (especially during the holidays!).
To keep this recipe more like a classic granola, simply leave off the topping and crumble up your granola into large clusters! But if you want to go all out with that topping, I highly encourage it. Enjoy!
Healthy Peppermint Mocha Granola Clusters
Ingredients
Granola:
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats, use certified gluten-free if needed
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, I like Smucker's Natural Creamy PB
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tsp instant coffee
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder, unsweetened
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Topping:
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- 1-2 candy canes, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- In a large bowl, combine all granola ingredients. Then, pour the mixture onto a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet and flatten it out. I find it easiest to flatten with a rubber spatula. Make sure you press it thin!
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until darker brown. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and coconut oil together.
- Once the granola is done baking, pour the melted chocolate over top and smooth it out until granola is completely covered. Top with crushed candy canes. Let cool completely at room temperature for 1-2 hours before you touch it! Transfer to the fridge to help the chocolate harden completely. Finally, break it up into large chunks and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to leave out instant coffee if you don’t like the flavor.
- IMPORTANT! Let the granola cool COMPLETELY before you touch it if you want it to break up into big clusters! I know it’s tempting!
- Maple syrup can be substituted for honey as the sweetener, but honey is what helps the granola stick together and break into big clusters.
- Store granola in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.