The chocolate granola I mentioned in the last post has really grown on me. It's got just the right amount of chocolate flavor, is not overpoweringly sweet and has a subtle cinnamon flavor I really like. It also seems like the type of thing that might be good to bring into the office for the holiday season, and is not as high in fat or calories as many typical treats.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of Cooking Light magazine.

Chocolate Crunch
This granola is satisfying on its own or sprinkled over yogurt, fresh fruit or ice cream. Store in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.

Cooking spray
3 cups regular oats
1 cup oven-toasted rice cereal (like Rice Crispies)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70 percent cocoa), finely chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Cover a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Coat parchment paper with cooking spray. (Or, if you don't have any parchment paper and have no idea what a jelly roll pan is, simply coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray).

Combine oats, rice cereal, brown sugar, chopped pecans, salt and ground cinnamon in a large bowl.
Combine honey and canola oil in a small saucepan over low heat; cook two minutes or until warm. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth.
Pour chocolate mixture over oat mixture.
Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Gently mix chocolate mixture and oat mixture until combined.
Spread the mixture onto the prepared pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Cool completely on pan; stir in cranberries.
Yields about 8 cups.

For a 1/2 cup serving, there are 168 calories, 5.9 g fat, 2.6 g protein, 28.1 g carb, 2 g fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.1 mg iron, 77 mg sodium, 14 mg calcium