Choco Cherry Coconut Granola | Hostess Gift

Packaged in vintage or new mason jars with a handwritten label, this granola makes a wonderful hostess or housewarming gift, or a nice treat for a new mom (who would appreciate the benefits of eating something straight out of the jar). Submitted by:  Jessica Kosmack (recipe courtesy of Andrea Nash) I love granola. All kinds. So when my friend Andrea shared a recipe she’d developed for a contest at her work, I had to try it. My mind was blown. These addictive chocolate chunks are not only delicious, but somehow also pretty healthy! Granola is great with yogurt and fruit, but good luck getting that far with this stuff — I eat it straight out of the jar! Total Time Required: 3.5 hours Working Time Required: 30-45 minutes Project Costs: Depending on your pantry, you may have everything on hand. To buy all of the ingredients, the cost would be less than $10. For mason jars, use old sauce jars, check Goodwill/garage sales, or buy new ones at a hardware store. I found my vintage jars at a rummage sale and paid less than $1 each. I used Martha Stewart’s kitchen labels and tags (Staples) — about $3-4/package. Ingredients & Materials Required: 2-4 glass mason jars (depending on size) Elastic tags or sticker labels Ingredients:

• 2 cups large flaked rolled oats (or quick oats)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (or ¼  cup brown sugar splenda)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp orange juice
• 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• Optional 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼-1/2 cup dried fruit (bing cherries are great, or flaked coconut!)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil). Step 2: Combine the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. In a separate bowl mix together oil, orange juice, maple syrup and cocoa. Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients thoroughly. Place on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, tossing occasionally to prevent burning. Turn off oven and leave granola into crisp up for 2 hours when the oven is no longer hot (I made this in the evening and left the granola in the oven overnight). Toss occasionally during this time. Step 3: Add the dried fruit. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container. Step 4: Once cooled and fruit/coconut is mixed in, divide between your jars, add lids, write your labels and stick or attach them to the jars. I used a combo of sticky labels and elasticized ones.