Cookies & Cream Granola
I love Oreos, but Oreos are high in sugar (and corn starch). A sleeve of Oreos is a unit of food. So I don’t buy Oreos. This granola hits the same flavour and when eaten with yogurt it tastes very close to Oreos!
Oreos get their colour and flavour from black cocoa. Black cocoa is made by heavily alkalizing it (generally with potassium carbonate), which makes it very dark and very sweet. A little bit of black cocoa goes a long way. When paired with yogurt this really tastes like Oreos. Black cocoa doesn’t have a lot of other uses in the kitchen, but it is really good sprinkled on a latte.
Regular Dutch processed cocoa (alkalized cocoa, medium brown colour) won’t taste like Oreos, it will taste like chocolate. Black cocoa is black. You can buy it at Bulk Barn or online.
I’ve updated this recipe January 2024 based on learnings from my commercial recipe for this granola.
Ingredients
500g | 4 cups oats
100g | 7 tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted
50g | 1/3 cup black cocoa
90g | 1/2 cup cane sugar
5g | 1 tsp vanilla extract
25g | 2 tbsp water
3g | 1 tsp salt
100g sunflower seeds (optional)
60g chia seeds (optional)
You can swap the sunflower seeds and chia seeds out for other nuts/seeds, or omit them entirely without issue.
You can replace the cane sugar with honey or maple syrup, but both will change the flavour. This recipe has 6g sugar per 1/2 cup serving, so if you want it sweeter you can increase the sugar which will lead to a crunchier granola with more clusters.
I prefer to eat this with vanilla yogurt (or vanilla protein powder added to yogurt) which gives it a true Oreo-like taste. However, you could also add vanilla meringues or mini marshmallows if you want more of a sweet, vanilla add-in.
Method
In commercial product, I’ve found these steps lead to the best texture and finished product.
Pre-heat the oven to 300°F: Pre-heat the oven to 300°F and line a half-sheet with parchment paper. If you are using smaller baking sheets, use two sheets.
Coat the oats in oil: Melt the coconut oil. In a large bowl, add the oats and oil. Stir to coat, around 30 seconds.
Add the black cocoa: Add the black cocoa powder and stir to coat evenly. The black cocoa will adhere to the coconut oil.
Make a sugar slurry: Add the sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and water to a medium bowl. Whisk until it’s a slurry, then pour onto the oats. Stir for 30–60 seconds until it’s well combined.
Add the seeds: Add the sunflower and chia seeds, stirring until evenly distributed.
Transfer to a baking sheet: Pour the granola mixture onto a baking sheet and press down until it’s firm and even. This will help the granola form clusters after it bakes.
Bake: 30–40 minutes, until fragrant, oats (that aren’t covered in cocoa) are golden brown. The granola may still feel moist but will crisp as it cools. Granola will bake faster if you are using convection.
Cool, then crumble: Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool fully, at least 1 hour. This will help the granola cool into firmer, crispier clusters. The granola will feel like one big mass, but will easily break once you pick it up. Break it into smaller pieces and move into a storage container.
Store: Store in a glass jar for up to a year, but it will taste best eaten within 3 months (the seeds will change in taste after 3 months).