Triple Chocolate Granola

Ingredients

• 0.3 cup brown sugar packed (can sub coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice, if desired)
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 
• 2 cups cocoa cereal crispy organic
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil 
• 0.7 cup dairy-free chocolate chips dark mini (regular size or chocolate chunks also work)
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup (can sub honey or agave nectar)
• 2 cups rolled oats gluten-free (certified oats if needed)
• 0.1 teaspoon salt 
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• oven
• microwave

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 250ºF and lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with a silicone baking mat.
2. Combine the oats, cereal, and cocoa powder in a large bowl.
3. Place the maple, sugar (if using coconut sugar, I like to grind it into a powder first), and oil in a saucepan, and heat until the sugar is mostly dissolved. For a shortcut, you can heat the wet ingredients in the microwave in 15 second intervals, until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved (just 30 to 45 seconds total).Stir the vanilla and salt into the liquid ingredients.
4. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and stir to evenly coat.
5. Spread the granola out in your prepared pan.
6. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes – this will vary quite a bit on climate (in dry climates my granola crisps up in less than an hour sometimes, on the coast, it can easily take 90 minutes), checking in every 20 to 30 minutes to stir.For clusters, immediately remove the granola to a large bowl and gently stir in the chocolate chips (just a few turns) while the granola is still warm.For a looser granola, let the granola cool completely, before stirring in the chocolate chips.Note that the granola will crisp up more as it cools. Break up clusters, if desired.