🍫 Cocoa Coconut Granola (with or without Sourdough Discard)

Sweet, crunchy, and packed with cocoa, coconut, and pantry-staple goodness — this granola delivers bold flavor and texture, whether you’re clearing out sourdough discard or not.

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Recipe

Servings: 8

Calories per serving: ~240

Total time: 50 minutes (10 min prep + 35–40 min bake/cool)

Cocoa Coconut Granola (Sourdough Optional)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats

• ½ cup sourdough discard– OR – ¼ cup plain yogurt plus ¼ cup milk (or water)

• ¼ cup + 1 heaping tablespoon coconut sugar (or to taste)

• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• ½ cup shredded coconut (fine, unsweetened)

• ½ cup mixed nuts, roughly chopped

• ¼ cup melted coconut oil or butter

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (or slightly more for extra sweetness)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional — sprinkle on top right after baking)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix oats, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, and salt.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the sourdough discard (or yogurt + milk), melted oil or butter, vanilla, and maple syrup.

4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until fully combined — mixture should be sticky and clumpy.

5. Press the mixture into a single solid layer on the baking sheet, like a large slab.

6. Bake for 30–35 minutes without stirring. The top should look dry and edges firm.

7. Optional: Immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot granola when it comes out of the oven.

8. Let it cool completely in the pan — at least 30 minutes. Once firm, break into large clusters.

🥄 Nutrition per serving (based on 8 servings):

• Calories: ~240

• Carbs: ~27g

• Fat: ~13g

• Protein: ~4g

• Fiber: ~3g

• Sugar: ~9g

(Values vary slightly depending on sweetener and chocolate use)

Mix dry ingredients

Mix dry ingredients

Mix wet ingredients

Mix wet ingredients

Combine everything besides chocolate chips

Combine everything besides chocolate chips

Arrange on baking sheet

Bake

Take out of the oven

Sprinkle chocolate chips

Let cool and break to clusters

Store in airtight container

Enjoy!

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Prompt

I tried making sourdough granola before and wanted to up my game, so asked ChatGPT:

cocoa sourdough discard granola with coconut sugar and any-nuts-in-pantry recipe

As usual, it gave me a nice recipe:

Here’s a super simple Cocoa Sourdough Discard Granola recipe using coconut sugar and whatever nuts you have in the pantry:

Cocoa Sourdough Discard Granola

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats

• ½ cup sourdough discard (unfed)

• ⅓ cup coconut sugar

• ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

• ½ cup mixed nuts (any combo you have — almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, etc.), roughly chopped

• ¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted

• 2–3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional, for extra sweetness)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

Optional add-ins after baking:

• Chocolate chips

• Dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix oats, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, and salt.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup (if using).

4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until everything is coated. It will look a little clumpy — that’s good!

5. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet in an even layer. Press it down lightly with a spatula if you want chunkier granola clusters.

6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, stirring halfway through for more even baking. It will crisp up as it cools.

7. Let it cool completely before breaking into clusters and adding any optional chocolate chips or dried fruit.

Notes:

• If you want super crunchy granola, bake an extra 5 minutes — just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

• This granola is not overly sweet, letting the cocoa flavor and coconut sugar shine through. Add a little extra sweetener if you like sweeter granola.

Would you like me to also give you a version that's more cluster-heavy (good for snacking like granola bars)? 🍫🌰

I did want chunky, also more:

yes a little chunky is good. Also double amount. And yes I will add chocolate chip after baking. Lastly, I did feed my starter. I hope it's not too bad (no need to update recipe for unfed LOL)

So it adjusted both chunkiness and quantities:

Perfect — got you. Here’s the doubled + chunky version with everything you asked for (and no worries about your starter being fed; it’ll be great):

Cocoa Sourdough Discard Granola (Chunky, Doubled Batch)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup sourdough discard (fed is fine!)

• ⅔ cup coconut sugar

• ½ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

• 1 cup mixed nuts (any combo you have), roughly chopped

• ½ cup coconut oil or butter, melted

• ¼ cup honey or maple syrup (optional, for extra sweetness)

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¾ to 1 cup chocolate chips (add after baking)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a big bowl, combine the oats, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, and salt.

3. In another bowl, mix the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract, and honey or maple syrup (if using).

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir gently but thoroughly to coat everything. The mixture will look thick and a little sticky — that's what you want for chunkier granola.

5. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheets. Press it down firmly with a spatula or your hands (you can lightly oil your hands if it's too sticky).

6. Bake for about 30–35 minutes. Do not stir halfway if you want more clusters! Rotate the pans once if your oven bakes unevenly.

7. Let it cool completely on the baking sheets. It will firm up as it cools.

8. Once cooled, break into chunks and gently mix in the chocolate chips.

Tips for Extra-Chunky Granola:

• Press the mixture down firmly before baking.

• Don’t overmix during or after baking.

• Let it cool fully before touching it.

You’re gonna have huge cocoa granola shards studded with melty chocolate chips. 🔥

Want a quick idea for a fun name too if you’re labeling it or posting it? Like "Chunky Cocoa Crunch Granola" or something?

I then realized that I don't have enough oats:

Dang I only have 2 cups oats please update back to smaller quantities

So it adjusted again:

No problem — going back to the small batch for 2 cups oats, keeping the chunky method:

Cocoa Sourdough Discard Granola (Chunky, Small Batch)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats

• ½ cup sourdough discard (fed is fine)

• ⅓ cup coconut sugar

• ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

• ½ cup mixed nuts (any combo you have), roughly chopped

• ¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted

• 2–3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional, for extra sweetness)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ⅓ to ½ cup chocolate chips (add after baking)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, nuts, and salt.

3. In another bowl, mix the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract, and honey/maple syrup (if using).

4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, stirring until everything is well coated and clumpy.

5. Spread onto the baking sheet in an even layer. Press it down firmly with a spatula or oiled hands for bigger chunks.

6. Bake for 25–30 minutes without stirring, until set and slightly crisp.

7. Let it cool completely on the pan — it’ll crisp up more as it cools.

8. Break into clusters and stir in the chocolate chips.

This will fill one standard baking sheet nicely.

Anything else you want to throw into it? Like shredded coconut, flaxseed, or a sprinkle of cinnamon? (I can tweak it if you want.)

I decided to add shredded coconut:

I also added half cup fine shredded coconut

Good idea, ChatGPT said:

Perfect, that’ll go really well with the cocoa and coconut sugar.

Here’s the updated version reflecting your addition:

Cocoa Coconut Sourdough Discard Granola (Chunky, Small Batch)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats

• ½ cup sourdough discard (fed is fine)

• ⅓ cup coconut sugar

• ¼ cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)

• ½ cup mixed nuts (any combo you have), roughly chopped

• ½ cup fine shredded coconut (unsweetened preferred)

• ¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted

• 2–3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional, for extra sweetness)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ⅓ to ½ cup chocolate chips (add after baking)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Line one baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, nuts, shredded coconut, and salt.

3. In another bowl, stir the sourdough discard, melted coconut oil or butter, vanilla extract, and honey/maple syrup (if using).

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until fully coated.

5. Spread onto the baking sheet and press down firmly to encourage chunky clusters.

6. Bake for 25–30 minutes without stirring. Rotate the pan once halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.

7. Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet. It will crisp up as it cools.

8. Break into clusters and fold in the chocolate chips.

This version will be a little richer and toastier because of the coconut — great move adding it.

Want me to also draft you a quick short caption if you’re posting a photo of it later? (Could be something fun like “Chocolate coconut granola magic from my starter leftovers”...)

That's when I started having some doubts about chocolate:

Won't the chips not mix if it's clusters? Can I not add them pre baking? Should I even add?

It explained how the chocolate would behave:

Good thinking — let’s break it down:

• If you add chocolate chips before baking:They’ll melt completely in the oven. Instead of separate chips, you’ll get chocolate smeared and baked into the granola.Result: more messy and less defined clusters, but chocolate flavor in every bite. Also, it might soften the chunks instead of helping them crisp.

• If you add chocolate chips after baking:You wait until the granola is 100% cool, then gently toss the clusters with the chips. The chips stay whole and kind of stud the granola.Result: true crunchy clusters plus little pockets of chocolate.

Bottom line:Since you want it chunky and crispy, it’s better to add the chocolate chips after baking.Just sprinkle them over the cooled clusters and toss lightly. You don't need to "mix" them into the center of every cluster — they’ll cling into crevices, and that's perfect.

Bonus tip:If you really want melty chocolate inside the clusters, you can sprinkle a few chips on top of the hot granola right after baking, while it's still warm, let them soften, and then cool everything fully without stirring.You get some melty zones without sacrificing your chunky texture.

Do you even need the chocolate chips?Honestly, with the cocoa powder + coconut sugar + coconut you already have, it’s gonna be rich and chocolaty.The chips are just a bonus if you want a little extra chocolate hit.

Summary advice for you:

Skip adding chips before baking. Sprinkle after cooling if you still feel like it. Or taste it first — you might love it as-is!

Want me to write a little "if you want to add chips" optional step for your recipe sheet so it's super clear?(If yes, I can make it like a one-line optional step you can easily follow.)

It was time for some what-if:

So what if I sprinkle 1/4 cup chocolate chips right as it comes out of the oven, and then the other 1/4 after fully cooled? Also, I spread the batter as a giant pita. It's currently on the oven, 1t mins in.

It explained, and offered a sketch:

Yes — your plan is smart and perfect for what you want!

Here's exactly how it’ll work:

• Sprinkle ¼ cup chocolate chips right after it comes out of the oven:The heat will soften them slightly and they’ll melt onto the top of the "giant pita" of granola. When it cools, the melted chips will help “glue” the top a bit without messing up your cluster texture underneath.

• Then after it’s fully cooled, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips:Those will stay whole and give you little chocolate bites among the big chunks.

About your "giant pita" method:That’s actually perfect for extra chunky granola. Since you didn’t spread it thin, it’ll bake more like a big sheet you can break into huge pieces afterward.

Baking note:

• Since it’s thicker, you might need to bake a little longer than the original 25–30 min (maybe 35–40 min total?), so check if the edges are firm and the center doesn’t feel wet.

• If it's getting too dark but still soft in the center, turn the oven off and let it sit inside another 5–10 minutes with the door cracked open. (Kinda like letting meringues dry.)

So yes, your idea = excellent.You’ll get melty and solid chocolate in your giant crunchy cocoa-coconut granola.

Want me to quickly sketch you a “what to do after timer beeps” so you have a step-by-step for the next few minutes? (Could be helpful since you’re baking now!)

I was curious:

Sure make a sketch I'm curious how that will come out 😜

So it sketched:

Awesome, here’s your post-baking action plan sketch (super simple):

When the timer goes off (and it's baked enough):

1. Take it out of the oven — the “giant pita” should look set at the edges and not feel wet in the center.

2. Immediately sprinkle ¼ cup chocolate chips evenly over the top.

3. Let it sit — don’t touch it! The chips will start to melt slightly and anchor onto the surface as it cools.

4. Cool completely — leave it on the pan until it's fully cool and firm.(It'll firm up way more after 30–60 minutes, depending on your kitchen temp.)

5. Break into big clusters — crack it into shards or chunky pieces with your hands.

6. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over the broken pieces.Toss gently once or twice if you want the chips to tuck into nooks.

7. Store in an airtight container once totally cool and dry.

Visual vibe you're going for:

• Big slabs of cocoa granola

• Some melted chocolate patches on top

• Bonus unmelted chocolate chips scattered in the cracks

Result:Super chocolatey, chunky, crunchy granola you can grab in shards or crumble lightly over yogurt.

You're gonna LOVE how that shredded coconut smells too.(When you crack the sheet, it might sound almost like cracking toffee. Very satisfying.)

Want me to also show you a quick how-to store it guide if you plan to keep some for more than a few days? (Because if you store it wrong it can lose crunch.)

I misunderstood and took it way too literally:

Oh lol I was thinking an actual graphic sketch haha 😂

So it sketched!

HAHA I love that — you meant literally a sketch-sketch.Like a badly drawn quick diagram?? I'm so down.

Give me one second — I’ll whip up a little hand-drawn style graphic for your granola situation!

NGL I was impressed:

That's actually pretty decent, good job!

It thanked me:

Thank you!!I'm so glad you liked it — I had way too much fun making that little sketch for your granola "giant pita" situation.(Also kinda proud it came out halfway decent and not full stick-figure chaos haha.)

Did your granola finish baking yet?? I'm dying to hear how it turned out!

Lastly, I asked for some minor adjustments to sweetness.

Scroll to the top or click below for the final recipe.

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