I have just one thing to say. Peanut butter cups for breakfast.
I was a huge fan of the Reese’s peanut butter cups. Let’s be honest though. They are filled with chemicals and additives and probably not much real peanut butter or chocolate. So I tried to create a dish that resembles that naughty taste, without the guilt. What better time than breakfast to eat chocolate and peanut butter.
Peanut Butter Cup Granola
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter (for a peanut free option, click here.)
1/4 cup applesauce
3 T cocoa powder
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp ground vanilla beans
2 T milk (I used almond milk)
Preheat oven to 330. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small sauce pan, heat up the peanut butter, milk, maple syrup and applesauce on med. heat until the peanut butter has melted. Add the wet to dry. Spread mixture onto a lined baking pan and bake for 15 minutes. Pull the pan out and move the granola around a bit. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with milk or sprinkle over plain yogurt. If you are feeling extra feisty, you can sprinkle a few chocolate chips in. 
What are some of your other guilty candy pleasures?
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I used to loooooooooove Twix and Kit Kat before I became vegan. Now my guilty pleasures are probably granola… I’m definitely going to make this! Love your blog!
Hahaha! I am the same way! I snack on granola for a bit of something sweet in the afternoons. That is why I have so many granola recipes. I am glad you are enjoying the blog.
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Can you use the agave sugar for maple syrup?
I am sure you can. I have not tried it though. Honey would work too.
Any chance the baking temp or time are a little off? I’ve had mine in the oven for a lot longer than you suggested, and it is not getting crisp. (But it’s darn tasty)
Every oven is a bit different. Maybe you do need to cook it a bit longer. I am glad it tastes good at least.
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Yum! Made this granola tonight. Mine didn’t get really crunchy until after it cooled. I used natural, non-GMO quick oats, because that is what I had on hand and I added 2 Tbsp flax seed meal to the recipe (to sneak in some extra fiber & protein). Love your blog! Just found it last week, but have already been trying a bunch of your recipes! We’re trying to eat more natural foods and we have a daughter that is vegan, so she is loving the new recipes! Thanks!
Yay! So glad you liked it. That is one of the granola recipes that doesn’t seem to get too crunchy. Maybe the cooking time needs to be a bit longer. I need to make that one again for myself.
I’m not sure if this has been answered, but what is the non dairy milk for, and is there an alternative?
Looking forward to making this!
I am allergic to milk, so I use non dairy. I used almond milk for the recipe. If you drink milk, then feel free to use regular milk.
This tastes like nobake cookies! I used the dark cocoa powder & it’s great.
Awesome! So glad you liked it.
I make my own Peanut butter can I use that?
Sure!
non-dairy milk?
We are a raw milk family -
I’m not even sure what non-dairy milk is, lol! Help!
You can use raw milk too! I am allergic to milk so I use a non dairy alternative like almond or hemp milk. I imagine raw milk would work okay too.
I really like your picture. It is hard to make a dish like brown granola stand out to the eye. I like the way you sprinkled nuggets around the jar.
Thanks! Food photography can be challenging sometimes!
I have always bought granola and never made my own because the recipes I always found called for so much ingredients and I didn’t want to bother. This recipe looks and smells delicious. My 16 yr old daughter LOVES granola and chocolate so this should be a hit with her.
Is there anything that would be a good substitute for the ground vanilla beans if we don’t have those on hand?
You can use vanilla extract.
Just made this and it’s amazing! Can I store it at room temperature or does it need to go in the fridge?
Thanks! You can store it at room temp, but I usually store it in the fridge so it lasts longer.
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