Chocolate Hazelnut Granola

Inspired by Target's Archer Farms brand, this dark chocolate hazelnut granola is the perfect breakfast topping or tasty snack. It's so good, it's a little difficult to stop eating.

I love the combination of chocolate and hazelnut so much, I've used it for many different recipes including chocolate hazelnut biscotti and chocolate hazelnut bars.

Everyone has an obsession when it comes to food... right? For me it was Archer Farms (Target brand) Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti Granola. At any given time, I would have at least 3 bags in the pantry, and with each trip to Target, I would come home with about 3 more.

I ate this for about 75% of my breakfasts, and would take it as a snack on hikes. While Lauren initially thought I was crazy to eat something over and over again, she quickly came around. This hazelnut granola is a breakfast staple for us these days.

When I first moved to Maryland a few years ago, I went to the Target one mile from our town house and to my shocker, they didn't sell it. And then the Target 10 miles away stopped selling it as well.

Next thing I knew, we were searching Target.com to find out the closest Target that sold this granola and making special trips to go get it. One day while searching, the dreaded words were seen... "item discontinued". It was true, they were discontinuing this granola and after frequent searching, there were no stores that sold it. 

So with my favorite granola gone, I decided I would make my own version. After about 15 different attempts at combining recipes, looking at the ingredients on the back of the bag, trying to get the perfect crunch and perfect sized clumps, Lauren and I come up with our own version.

I have to say this dark chocolate hazelnut granola met and surpassed my expectations and I hope it does for you too.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• How to Make Homemade Granola
• Can I Make My Own Oat Flour?
• How Long Does Homemade Granola Last?
• What Can I Make with Homemade Granola
• Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
• Other Granola Recipes
• Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Granola

Recipe Ingredients

• Old-fashioned oats - the base of any granola.
• Hazelnuts - where the crunch comes from.
• Sugar in the raw - can use granulated sugar in a pinch.
• Salt - enhances the flavor.
• Canola oil - can use vegetable oil as well.
• Honey - added sweetness.
• Vanilla extract and hazelnut extract - extra flavor.
• Barley malt syrup - molasses also works.
• Oat flour - make your own by grinding up some oats in the food processor.
• Dark chocolate chunks - semi-sweet chocolate works too.

How to Make Homemade Granola

1. In large bowl, mix oats, chopped hazelnuts, sugar and salt in the raw in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix canola oil, honey, vanilla extract, hazelnut extract, and barley malt syrup together in a separate bowl until combined. Add in oat flour which should make a thick paste.
3. Mix wet ingredient mixture into dry ingredients. (We found that it is best to mix this with your hands in order to keep the clumps) Spread mixture onto a large cookie sheet and press down.
4. Bake at 300°F for about 35 minutes, taking cookie sheet out at 12 minute intervals to stir, until golden brown. Let granola cool completely and then stir in chocolate chunks.

Can I Make My Own Oat Flour?

Yes. Just take a heaping ½ cup of old-fashioned oats and throw in food processor, blending for about 1 minute until you get a fine flour.

How Long Does Homemade Granola Last?

Although I doubt you’ll be able to keep the granola around this long as you’ll probably eat it all, you can keep granola in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a month.

What Can I Make with Homemade Granola

The great thing about granola is you can use it in some many other dishes, whether it is the start or complementing it. Some options include:

• Baked goods like pumpkin oatmeal muffins
• Puddings like chocolate chia seed pudding
• Gratins
• Fruit crisps
• Cookies
• Bars
• Trail mix

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Fat is important for granola. If you don’t use it, you will just have dry oats. This recipe uses canola oil but feel free to use vegetable or coconut oil.
• Do not substitute quick cooking oats for the old-fashioned oats which this recipe calls for. If you use quick cooking oats, the cook time will be different and the texture won’t be the same. Old-fashioned oats are the best for granola.
• Press down the homemade granola before you and after you bake it. This helps with the formation of clumps.
• Do not wait until the granola is really browned when pulling out of the oven. It should just be starting to brown when you pull it out. Always err on the underdone side as the granola will continue to cook and harden as it cools.
• Add chocolate after the granola is done cooking and cooled. If adding during cooking process it will melt.

Other Granola Recipes

• Pumpkin Spice Granola
• Fruit and Nut Granola
• Chocolate Chip Granola

If you’ve tried this chocolate hazelnut granola or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.