Is there anyone else out there who throws away your used coffee grounds each morning with a twinge of guilt?  Or anybody who pours the significant remainder of your partner’s gourmet french press coffee down the drain with sadness in your heart? (Yes, founder of Coletti Coffee, I am calling you out.)  All those beautiful, fragrant, still-antioxidant-rich grounds (and coffee) just going to waste…until today! [caption id="attachment_1295" align="alignnone" width="225"] A pitiful sight[/caption] As part of our Recipe Friday series, I’m going to share creative ways to use your leftover grounds as well as the extra coffee that your spouse has been wasting – I mean brewing – to whip up some nourishing dishes with a little kick.  And today’s has got to be my favorite! For mornings when one cup of coffee just isn’t doing it and you need your breakfast to pack a little extra punch, there’s chocolate coffee granola (otherwise known as Maple Mocha Granola).  Yes, friends, that is a thing. I’ve been making granola every couple days for years.  I love the chewy, dense deliciousness and how it fills you up for the whole morning. But add some of my other favorite flavors—chocolate, maple, vanilla, and caffeine (I know, I know, caffeine is not a flavor… technically)—and you’ve really got a breakfast to write home about.  No more guilt over dumping that gourmet coffee you (or your significant other) have brewed at home or those aroma-rich, antioxidant-laden grounds left over in your dripper.  Now you can have your coffee and eat it too! One last word to the wise…this recipe is a little “stimulating” as it has both coffee grounds and actual coffee.  I would reserve it for breakfast rather than a late night snack if you don’t want to be staring at the ceiling at bedtime.  Enjoy!

Maple Mocha Granola

Rich in antioxidants, this chewy maple mocha granola offers amazing taste and it fills you up for the whole morning. Plus, it puts some extra pep in your step!

• 2 ½ c oats
• ¼ c gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill blend)
• 2 T cocoa powder
• ⅓ c walnuts (a must)
• 2 T leftover coffee grounds (dry or wet will work)
• ¼ c leftover coffee
• ⅓ c maple syrup
• 2 T coconut oil
• ½ t sea salt
• ⅓ c chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in a stand mixer or large bowl and mix until combined. 

    Stay with me at this step because it’s going to seem a little more doughy than other granola recipes you’ve made, but I promise, it will turn out. 

    It should look like this after mixing:

   
   

3. Turn out onto a baking sheet and spread out into a thin layer.

4. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes.  

   If you like your granola crunchy, go the full 17 minutes.  I like mine with a little chewiness so I pulled it out after 15.  

5. As soon as you pull it out of the oven, set the timer for five minutes. At the end of five minutes, gently fold in the chocolate chips. 

    Some will melt, some will stay intact. It’s all part of the goodness.  

6. Let stand until cool, then add milk, yogurt, or snack on it straight from the pan. 

   Now go get some work done because you’ll have a little extra pep in your step!