I don’t know about you, but whenever I visit that oh-so-famous coffee chain around the holidays, it’s almost impossible to just order my standard cup of black coffee because of three seasonal words:
Cranberry Bliss Bars.
Oh my goodness. I feel like I’ve been really good this December at limiting my sugar intake and politely passing on many of the extra cookies, cakes, and candies that I really don’t need. But any resolve I have still seems to be “waking up” at 8am when I’m standing in line next to the glass display case with delicious cranberries and white chocolate — one of my all-time favorite combinations — calling my name. Mmmm, morning bliss indeed.
Well, after a recent success finally mumbling out, “Just coffee, please”, I decided to come home and whip up my own version of “bliss” that I could feel slightly better about — a batch of homemade Cranberry White Chocolate Granola. It’s definitely still a bit indulgent, with a good handful of white chocolate chips and sweet dried cranberries tossed in. But other than that, it’s naturally sweetened, full of great protein, naturally gluten-free, and absolutely delicious.
My kind of “bliss”.
Basically, this recipe is a simple riff on my favorite Dark Chocolate Cherry Granola recipe. Just combine a bunch of oats (use GF-certified oats if making this gluten-free), pecans, almonds and shredded coconut. Drizzle them all with a maple-sweetened cinnamon vanilla sauce, and then toss until combined. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet…
…and then bake it up to golden perfection. Then once the mixture has been removed from the oven and cooled to room temp, you can stir in that extra bliss — lots of dried cranberries and white chocolate chips!
You can either serve it up in a bowl with milk…
…because, breakfast.
Or you can jar it up for later…or to give to a friend! (Perfect for last-minute gifting this Christmas!)
However you enjoy it, I can definitely vouch that I’d take this blissful (and more protein-full) alternative to a sugar cookie bar any day. :) Enjoy!
Cranberry White Chocolate Granola
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
This Cranberry White Chocolate Granola recipe is easy to make, full of protein, and full of delicious sweet flavors!
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats (use certified gluten-free oats if making this GF)
- 1/2 cup raw (whole) almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pecan halves
- 1/2 cup shredded or shaved coconut
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (use certified gluten-free chocolate chips is making this GF)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Combine the oats, almonds, pecans, and coconut in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt together until smooth. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the oats mixture, and toss until everything is evenly mixed.
- Spread the granola mixture out evenly on a greased baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, pulling the mixture out at the halfway point and giving it a good stir before the final round of baking. Remove and let cool until the granola reaches room temperature. Stir in the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips and toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
I made these as bars this weekend – I added 1 cup of almond butter (Barney’s, with honey and flaxseed) and melted it in with the coconut oil and maple syrup before combining it with the dry ingredients (I toasted those for ~15 minutes, stirring halfway) and chilling for about 4 hours. The chocolate melted more than I would have liked (I should have waited before adding them) but they are super tasty and hold their shape pretty well.
Perfect idea for a breakfast! I love the mixture of chocolate and almond. Thanks for sharing, i’ll give it a try :)
Thanks Brian, we hope you enjoy this! :)
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to make it – I’m always looking for healthy snacks to put into my kids’ lunches. Any tips on making this in a bar form (easier to pack in a lunch)?
Thanks Samantha, we hope you and your kiddos love it! And hmmmm, to make this in a bar form (we haven’t tried this), we think you would need to lightly toast the oats, nuts and coconut in the oven at 350 for about five minutes. Then, heat the maple syrup and coconut oil in the microwave, or over the stove, until the oil is melted. Then stir in the vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Pour this mixture into a bowl with the oats, nuts and coconut, and give a good stir, coating the dry ingredients with the wet. Let the mixture cool down some before you add the white chocolate chips and the cranberries (about 5 min or so). It’s okay if the chocolate chips melt a bit, they’ll help bind the bars together. You might find that you need to melt a little peanut butter to mix in with everything as well (to work as a binder). We aren’t sure how well these would bind without it. After everything is well incorporated, turn the mixture into a pan lined with some greased parchment paper, and press down firmly with your hands and fingers, making an even layer. Then cover the pan and refrigerate for about two hours, until the mixture is firm. We hope this helps – let us know how it goes if you try it!
Love granola on Greek yogurt and this looks so delicious. Happy Holidays!
Thanks Karen, we hope you love it! Happy holidays to you as well! :)
I can’t believe it! I’ve forgotten to buy a bliss bar so far this season and I’m shocked that I’ve allowed this much time to pass without even thinking about it. I’m bummed big time. But, this granola looks perfect and so I might have to whip this up instead.
Your pictures are beautiful! The recipe looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kat, we hope you love it! :)
Pinned it! Oh my goodness this sounds wonderful, thanks for sharing!
This looks delicious! I’ll make some this weekend. Random question – I’ve noticed that a lot of bloggers still have a Ziplist link attached to their recipes. Am I missing something – I use Yummly now, but kind of desperately miss Ziplist (and am secretly hoping it’s still around).
BLISS is right! I’m a certified homemade granola addict, and this looks like one of the best recipes I’ve seen in a LONG time! Can’t wait to whip up a batch :)
Thanks Leah, we hope you love it! :)