A Promise is a Promise

You are just going to have to trust me on this. My intentions were good, really they were.

I spent an evening scouting out the perfect recipe. I wanted it to be savory, of course, and I wanted to share it with you. I went out and bought special secret ingredients. I came home, tied my apron around my waist and got to work. My goal was to create the most astounding Fried Chickpea Salad that there ever was. I was set, and ready and excited. Alas...

Beautiful, no? Oh yes, I thought so too before I tasted it.

Don't get me wrong, it was good... but it was far from great. You have no idea how sad this made me. I debated about whether or not I should share it with you, but in the end it came down to the fact that it didn't move me. And when it comes to food, I want to be moved!

I'm issuing a formal apology right now, because what came next was quite far from being the least bit savory. What came next was one of my favorite comfort foods of all: French Chocolate Granola. Oh baby, is it ever good.

I didn't take any pictures of it, so this can kind of still count as a savory post! Just a note, my family went through 10 cups of this granola in three days. Bon Appetite!

French Chocolate Granola

Adapted from Orangette

3 cups rolled oats

½ cup almonds, chopped

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

6 tbsp. mild honey

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

½ cup, or more, finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 300.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, sugar, and salt. Stir well to blend.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey and oil over low heat, whisking occasionally (be careful! the oil may want to splash out!) until honey is loose. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine

Spread the mixture evenly on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Set a timer to go off halfway through the baking time, so that you can give the granola a good stir; this helps it to cook evenly. When it's ready, remove the pan from the oven, stir well (this will keep it from cooling into a hard solid sheet) and cool completely.

When cool, transfer the granola to a large bowl, storage jar, or zip-lock plastic bag. Add the chocolate, and stir (or shake, if using a jar or bag) or mix.

Store in an airtight container.

Yield: Makes about five cups of granola