Today I’m thrilled to share a recipe from my friend Allyson Kramer’s new book, Sweet Eats for All. Anyone who knows Allyson knows that she’s a spectacular vegan and gluten-free baker (and cook in general!) with three bestselling cookbooks under her belt. And anyone who knows me knows that books full of delicious sweet treats suit me just fine!
Allyson was one of the first bloggers I encountered when I started my blog back in 2008. At the time, her blog was called Manifest Vegan, and it had already gained a reputation for incredible recipes and gorgeous photography with well-written content relating to all things vegan.
Since then, Allyson’s site has been updated as AllysonKramer.com, but the amazingly creative recipes and visually stunning photos just keep on coming! Her prowess with recipe creation is evident in all of her books, but in Sweet Eats for All, she goes beyond mere recipes to create a reference source for the vegan and gluten-free baker that will be consulted for years to come.
The book fills 8 chapters and over 300 pages, covering virtually all categories of dessert you’ve ever encountered, from cakes to cookies and bars; to pies, tarts and cheesecakes; to frozen treats; to puddings and jellies; to candy and chocolates; to (my favorite chapter) naturally sweetened treats. There’s also a large chapter covering the basics of sweeteners, milks, flours, fats, binders, plus “tools of the trade,” with recipes for homemade basics.
Sweet Eats for All is an expansive, comprehensive resource, guidebook and cookbook for anyone moving to vegan and gluten-free baking. And while Allyson does use sugar in her recipes, the chapter filled with naturally sweetened confections yielded plenty for me to try–like this Chocolate Granola!
And for those of you contemplating an anti-candida diet, if you’ve been resisting because you think the ACD means a lifetime of culinary deprivation-take another look at this bowlful!
Once past the early more stringent stages of the diet, you can bring back ingredients you may have removed (like whole oats, for instance, or coconut sugar) and enjoy the occasional recipe using them. So YES, you can dig in to a bowl of Allyson’s chocolate granola, as long as you’ve ensured the yeast is clear and you’re safe to indulge again. I enjoyed it immensely over the period of a couple of weeks (okay, I allowed the HH to have one bowlful, too).
And good news: my Candida Kick-Start course is being right now, to help you get on track conquering candida!
With the right tools and support, you can clear the candida and still enjoy delicious food while you do. This is the perfect time to start! Registration will remain open until March 5th (and Early Bird pricing is in effect until March 1st).
So mix up a bowl of granola, then enjoy some chocolate and healthy crunch for breakfast while you check out the Candida Kick-Start. You’ll be able to dig in to a bowlful again before you know it. 😉
Chocolate Granola from Sweet Eats for All by Allyson Kramer
©2014 Da Capo Press. Reprinted with permission. Photo: Allyson Kramer.
This versatile granola is perfect for all sorts of treats. Use for parfaits or to top your favorite nondairy yogurt or ice cream. Great in a bowl as breakfast cereal at home, or as a chocolaty addition to your trail mix when you’re on the go.
2 cups (480 ml) certified gluten-free oats
1/2 cup (80 ml) almond meal
3 Tbsp (45 ml) whole chia seeds
1/4 tsp (1 ml) fine sea salt
1/3 cup (80 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp (15 ml) virgin coconut oil, preferably organic
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup (80 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup [I used coconut nectar], or less, to taste
Preheat oven to 300F (150 C).
In a medium bowl. whisk together the oats, almond meal, chia seeds, salt and cocoa powder.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, vanilla and agave nectar until very smooth. Using clean hands or a large fork, combine all ingredients until well mixed.
Spread onto a parchment-lined jelly roll pan and bake for 40 minutes. Break into bite-sized pieces and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 3 cups (720 ml).
Suitable for: ACD Stage 3 and beyond, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, yeast-free, vegan.
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Hi! I'm Ricki, cookbook author, professional recipe developer, holistic nutritionist and anti-candida crusader. Let me show you how easy it is to eat plant-based, sugar-free, gluten free food that tastes great! 
I need to get my hands on that cookbook! This granola sounds fantastic, I’d be all over it 🙂
It’s a gorgeous book, June! 🙂
Comment: looks great – I have been making chocolate granola for over a month and loving it with lots of seeds and nuts – it has quite a similar base to this one but I use rice brown oil rather than coconut oil. Mine changes with each batch I make and I still want to try a few different grains like quinoa or buckwheat!
Thanks, Johanna (though not sure why my photo appears here–LOL!), I agree, seeds and nuts make the bowl. I find mine changes with each batch, too–all depends on how I feel that day. 🙂
Hi dear! would carob work instead of cacao?
Hi Lourdes,
Yes, I’m sure it would work! I’d increase the coconut oil a bit, though, as carob is much dryer than cocoa. And if you’re in the early stages of the anti-candida diet, use stevia, yacon or xylitol instead of the agave/maple syrup. 🙂
yes! i use stevia! what do you think about Lo Han? I want to experience with a different sweetener. I already tried Xyla. I appreciate your opinion. Thank you so much for the 3 webinars about candida, I attended all of them, super helpful! <3
one more question Dear! how much liquid stevia would you use instead of agave?
Thank you <3
Hi Lourdes,
I find that stevia on its own with chocolate can produce a bitter result, since each brings out the bitterness in the other. That’s why I’d combine it with another sweetener. If you do choose to use stevia only, I’d start with 1/4 tsp (1 ml) liquid stevia, taste, and adjust. You may need a bit more. And I’m delighted that you found the webinars helpful! 🙂
Making this delicious recipe right now. Just for the record for those using stevia only, I used 60 drops since I want it sweet sweet! I also add more carob powder and 4 tbs of coconut oil instead of 1. I put a few tbs in a bowl to try it as dry cereal with some almond milk…wow!! delicious! added some seeds too! Ill let you know how the granola comes out, thx for this recipe! <3
so the granola is out of the oven, it didn’t glue at all. I assume is because I didn’t use any agave/honey/maple/nectar sticky sweetener, oh well, the taste is pretty good and it looks more like chocolate oatmeal. I left it in the oven for another 10-15 min to achieve more sticky results but I notice it started to smell like burning.
I like it, is a healthy snack 🙂
I suspect that’s the case, too, Lourdes. Stevia has no “sticking power,” so your granola wouldn’t clump together with it. A better option might be yacon for a very low-glycemic version. Or, if you can get it, NuNaturals Simple Syrup (though you’d need so little of it that it might not work as well, either). Glad it tasted good, though!! 🙂
I have figured out a way to make granola clump without using honey or similar sweeteners. I mix up flax gel and add stevia to that before stirring it into the other ingredients
Great idea, Anne! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Oh yeah, Candida diets are only a tad boring in the beginning (but worth it!!!). I definitely eat better now than before I started my ACD diet a couple of years ago. When you get to eat things like you shared in this post – and not get symptoms from it – that’s when you know you’re doing something right. 😉
Yes, it does get better over time, right? And I DEFINITELY eat much, much better than I did before candida. So that’s at least one great thing that came out of the experience! Can’t wait to learn more about yours, too. 🙂
hi ricki! would it work with flax seeds instead of chia seeds? they give me a terrible tummy ache! 🙁
Joolz, I think that since they’re being used as whole seeds (and not for binding power here), basically ANY seed could work: sesame, sunflower, pumpkin. . . whatever you like! 🙂
Dear Ms. Heller,
Your official web site features a chocolate granola which contains nuts and chia seeds. Now some people do not want any nuts or chia seeds in their granola. Will you be able to come up with a chocolate granola recipe with absolutely no nuts, wheat, yeast, soy-based ingredients (like soy lecithin), or chia seeds? If it is possible, please send your response to me as soon as possible.
I thank you in advance and hope to receive your response.
Best regards,
W. A. P.
Pace University
Thanks for your comment, W.A.P. These days, with so many dietary restrictions, I know that there will always be someone who isn’t able to eat something in any one of my recipes. My site isn’t nut-free (or chia-free, or soy-free), but all my recipes *are* consistently free of sugar, eggs, dairy and gluten. I’m always happy to create more recipes for readers, though, so next time I approach a chocolate granola, I’ll keep this in mind. I do regularly create the kind of custom recipe you request here, though, in my membership club, The Sweet Life. I’m also always happy to work with individuals to create custom recipes and coach people on how to learn to cook/eat within their dietary boundaries on their own, with one-on-one coaching. Perhaps one of those would suit you? If not, I am sure there must already be a granola recipe that fits those criteria online–the beauty of the internet. 🙂