My last quarter of undergraduate classes, my guy’s boss sent him overseas to Taiwan for the first five weeks to teach a chemistry course as part of an exchange program. Although neither of us looked forward to the distance or time difference, we planned to make do with lots of emails and a few video chats online.
The week before, we took a short two-day vacation to the Los Angeles area. We walked along the beach, where he chased the waves a little too closely and ended up with soaking wet jeans; visited the Page Museum, where we watched volunteers meticulously dust off newly discovered fossils; stopped for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, where I nearly single-handedly polished off an entire Hula Pie ice cream dessert by myself; meandered out along a pier, where a practically blind seagull almost flew straight into my guy’s head; and drove through the rain to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, where we chuckled at the seals in the synchronized swimming routine.
Despite our fun-filled weekend, his departure date arrived much too quickly. As I helped him pack his suitcase for his midnight 14-hour flight, he handed me a grocery bag, saying, “Here, for when I’m gone.”
I peeked inside, and my heart immediately melted. He bought me a box of chocolate-filled chocolate cereal! The man knows me too well… It was exactly what I needed to get through his first few days away.
This past week, while stocking up on baking ingredients, I breezed down the cereal aisle at the store and spotted that same box. Although incredibly tempted to stick it in my cart, I decided to bake my own chocolaty breakfast cereal instead, something slightly healthier but just as delicious!
Dark and decadent, my low-fat Double Chocolate Brownie Granola completely surprised me with its rich taste. (And as a chocoholic, that almost never happens!) Its gourmet flavor surpasses just about anything you could buy from the store, yet it’s still healthy and clean eating friendly—with an easy vegan option too!
Let’s start with the granola. I always mix Rice Krispies into my granola bases because they add a huge crunch without the excess calories you’d get from drizzling in extra oil. It might sound strange, but lots of companies mix them into their own boxed granolas too! I measured out equal parts of old-fashioned oats and Rice Krispies for maximum crunch.
Some other granola recipes, including a few of my own, require you to boil the water and sugar to reduce the liquids and create a stickier syrup. Not this one! Just whisk together the wet ingredients—oil, water, and agave—and pour them into the cocoa-kissed cereal. That’s as fuss-free as it gets!
We’ll bake our healthy granola at 350°F and stir every 15 minutes. If you wait much longer to move things around, the cereal closest to the edges of the pan browns too quickly and threatens to burn. The granola should finish somewhere between 40-45 minutes, but remember: it’ll continue to crisp up a little more as it cools!
While that chocolaty goodness bakes, let’s turn our attention to the brownie. Yes, we’re putting real brownie chunks into this granola! To avoid making an entire pan of brownies and ending up with too many tempting extras, I made my skinny single-serving microwave brownie and diced it into tiny pieces, about the size of two miniature chocolate chips stuck together. Its fudgy texture is the perfect complement to the crunchy granola!
Wait to mix in the brownie chunks and chocolate chips until the granola is completely cool. Otherwise, the chocolate chips start to melt into a gooey mess! Toss everything together in the pan (sneak as much as you want, I won’t judge!), and store the rest in an airtight container.
Cozy and satisfying, this skinny Double Chocolate Brownie Granola tastes almost as indulgent as a brownie itself! With luscious chunks of chocolate and rich fudgy brownies, it’s hard to believe this granola qualifies as a healthy breakfast. But it’s perfect for fruit and yogurt parfaits, mixing into milk, and satisfying any mid-morning snack attacks.
And if you’re anything like me, it’ll all be gone in less than two days!
Chocolate granola mixed with chocolate chips and real brownie chunks—this is a chocolate-lover’s dream breakfast cereal! Both the granola and brownie are very dark, so feel free to adjust the sweetener to suit your tastes.
- To prepare the granola, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, rice cereal, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour the agave mixture into the dry cereal mixture, stirring with a spatula until all of the cereal is thoroughly coated.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or until it reaches the desired level of crunchiness. Cool the granola completely to room temperature in the pan.
- While the granola bakes, prepare the brownie. Lightly coat a 1-cup ramekin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and flour. In a separate bowl, stir together the water, yogurt, agave, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared ramekin, gently shaking back and forth until the top is smooth. Microwave at 40% POWER for 2 minutes and 15 seconds (2:15). Let the brownie sit for at least 3 minutes before removing from the ramekin.
- Dice the brownie into small pieces, about the size of two miniature chocolate chips stuck together. Once the granola has cooled completely, toss it with the brownie chunks and miniature chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Granola Notes: This granola isn’t very sweet. If you prefer it sweeter, add another tablespoon or two of agave.
It’s important to stir the granola every 15 minutes to prevent the cereal closest to the pan’s edges from burning.
Brownie Notes: Regular or non-dairy yogurt may be substituted for the Greek yogurt. Maple syrup or honey may be substituted for the agave.
Although the brownie may not appear to be full cooked, it will continue to bake through while it sits for the final 3 minutes. Even so, there are no eggs in this recipe, so there’s no salmonella to worry about!
Ohmigosh. I need to make this!! Although, then I’d just eat it all in a day, same as I do with kid cereals. But it’s healthier, so that wouldn’t be as bad, right? I bet this is the bomb on ice cream…
I do that with kid cereals too — no milk necessary! I haven’t tried it on ice cream yet, but I bet you’re totally right. 🙂
My husband and oldest daughter will be all.over.this. They are chocolate lovers to the deepest parts of their hearts – everything is better with chocolate for them! And the fact that they could have just a little bit for breakfast – I may be the best wife/mommy in the world! Lol!! 🙂
I am going to start putting rice krispies into my granola! Amy … you are so smart! I could just hug ya!! I love the extra crunch – without excess fat and calories! Yay!!!
Aww Gretchen, you’re too sweet — thank you!! 🙂 I think the “everything is better with chocolate” is my life’s mantra too. I’m obsessed, and I even have a small piece after breakfast every day. It makes every morning (and afternoon and evening) a little bit better!
Hello, Amy! Nice to ‘meet’ you!
My husband constantly jokes that I always have to add chocolate to everything I bake. Ermm … true. And yes, even to granola. So I LOVE this recipe of yours. The best thing is your rice krispies trick. I’m definitely adding some to my next batch of granola!
Nice to “meet” you too Helen, and thank you so much for your sweet comment! It sounds like you and I are two peas in a pod. I add chocolate to everything too (especially breakfast foods!), but my guy hates chocolate… Oh well, more for me! 😉 And I hope you like the rice krispies trick in your next homemade granola batch!
You know he’s a keeper when he buys you chocolate cereal!! What a gem. This homemade version looks WAAAYY better than the boxed stuff though, YUM!
Thanks Brittany! Any guy who buys me chocolate immediately earns extra brownie points. (Umm, no pun intended! 😉 )
I think my jaw literally dropped when I saw the title of this post. It’s such a shame that I’m leaving on vacation, so I can’t make this as soon as I’d like! Unfortunately it’s hard to find crisp rice cereal in my area, so could I replace it with an equal amount of rolled oats and some more oil? If so, how much more oil do you recommend? Thanks!
Hmm, I don’t know if I’d recommend extra oats and oil. Do you have any kind of puffed rice or puffed wheat cereal in your area? I think those might make a better substitution since they’re also kind of airy. And have a lovely vacation Bianca; I hope it’s really fun and relaxing! 🙂
Love this granola, very clever to add rice krispies.
Thank you so much Cheri!
As you may know by now, I’m all for chocolate everything, including chocolate granola! I love that you added the brownie chunks… talk about the perfect way to start the day. 🙂
We’re like two peas in a pod Alexandra! If I could have chocolate at every meal of the day, I’d be the happiest girl alive. 😉 And I’m a firm believer that it’s never too early in the day to eat a brownie!
Um, YUMMMMM! Any idea how long the brownie chunks will stay good for? I’ve been on a huge yogurt and granola kick lately… trying to eat healthy before I leave in the morning so I’m not as tempted by cheese rolls and scones when they come out of the oven around 7! Liiiiiiiife…
Oh, and I meant to tell you- THESE PHOTOS ARE STUNNING!! Your best I’ve seen!!!!!
Aww thank you Andrea! 🙂 I was trying something new with the metallic background, and I had fun working with it. I’m so happy and touched that you approve! The brownie chunks stayed fine for about a week on my counter, but if you’re worried about it, you can store the granola in the fridge. (That’s what my mom did with the batch I gave her!) I can’t even imagine how tempting those scones are fresh out of the oven… You might not have any left to sell if I worked with you!
Chocolate and brownies for breakfast?? I puffy heart love you girl!!! This is totally my kind of breakfast or snack!!! Yum!!!
Aww thank you Jocelyn, I love you too! 🙂 After seeing all of your amazing chocolate breakfast treats, I just had to make one of my own!